Scuffles, a baton blow, a lost eye.

The trial of a police officer, accused of having shot a Bastia supporter after a Ligue 1 football match in 2016 in Reims, begins on Tuesday before the assizes.

Judged for "violence with the use or threat of a weapon followed by mutilation or permanent disability", the policeman, aged 50, faces fifteen years of criminal imprisonment.

He had tried to challenge his return to the assizes of the Marne before the Reims Court of Appeal, then the Court of Cassation.

In vain.

Bastia's first away win

The facts date back to February 13, 2016: SC Bastia has just signed its first away victory in Reims on the 26th day.

It is 9:50 p.m., the stadium security managers – quoted in the procedure – notice around thirty “particularly angry” Bastia supporters in the visitor bays.

At the end of the match, a group of Corsican supporters joined the town centre.

The match is not classified at risk by the authorities, but clashes break out with the police.

Among the Bastiais, Maxime Beux, 22 years old at the time, kicked the car of the police officer in question.

This one catches up with him and sends him, according to him, a blow of telescopic stick to "stop him in his race".

The accused, a member of the BAC (anti-crime brigade) from Reims, explains that the young man fell and that his head "hit the top of a metal post", causing his eye injury.

“Abracadabrant”

“Abracadabrantes!

“Slices the victim’s lawyer, Me Benjamin Genuini.

To AFP, he cites two medical reports, according to which "the injury coincides with a blow from a telescopic truncheon", which led to the irreversible functional loss of the left eye.

The IGPN survey reaches the same conclusions.

A relative of the victim, who witnessed the scene, told the investigators that he saw his friend receive a truncheon on the head and immediately "scream in pain".

Despite a bleeding eye injury, Maxime Beux was handcuffed, taken to the police station and placed in police custody.

“Between the time he was injured and the time he was taken care of by the emergency services, an hour and ten passed,” laments his lawyer.

The policeman - whose lawyer, Me Nicolas Brazy, did not respond to requests from AFP - filed a complaint for "contempt and rebellion", but the supporter will never be prosecuted.

Four days after the match, a judicial investigation is opened against X on the grounds of intentional violence.

Maxime Beux, "disfigured", according to his lawyer, is heard as a civil party.

45 day ITT

He then tells the investigators "the growing tensions" between police and Bastia supporters, upon arrival at the stadium, then after the match in the city center.

And confirms having received "a violent impact in the left eye", without being able to determine the origin, then having "collapsed".

A 45-day ITT was issued to him.

Confronted with the expertise, the policeman, originally from Reims, ends up recognizing that the eye injury was caused by the baton, but says he acted "in execution of an order".

Responsible for patrolling the city center, he was responsible for “arresting people disturbing public order”.

"Disproportionate use of force"

"A disproportionate use of force" has "been demonstrated by the investigation", replies Mr. Genuini, a "kick to a car" not constituting an offense, especially since it has not been established that Maxime Beux - who has since completed his master's degree in management - was one of "the most virulent supporters".

In total that evening, eight Bastia supporters were placed in police custody for contempt and rebellion.

Seven of them were sentenced on appeal in 2017 to fines of up to 1,000 euros.

Following this event, incidents had broken out in Corsica between the police and the demonstrators.

Thousands of Corsicans had also marched in Bastia behind a banner "Ghjustizia per Maxime" ("Justice for Maxime").

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