He was sentenced in October 2021 in Mont-de-Marsan, to 25 years in prison for a racist assassination attempt on his neighbor in 2018 in the Landes.

The appeal trial of Claude Gorsky, opens this Monday before the Assize Court of Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques).

On May 20, 2018, Claude Gorsky, retired, had parked his car in front of the pavilion of his neighbour, 39 years old at the time and father of six children, and with his .22 long rifle pistol had shot him five times, the two last bullets lodged in the back of the victim then crawling on the ground.

The victim died fifteen days after the attack from a ruptured aneurysm

According to the victim's family, the 60-year-old fired after shouting "dirty Arab" and other racist insults, which had already been uttered several times in the past.

Saïd el Barkaoui died a fortnight after the attack from a ruptured aneurysm, "independent of gunshot wounds" according to a medical report.

Fifteen days before the shots, Claude Gorsky said he had received "death threats" and "dirty Pole" insults from his neighbor.

He had previously slapped the companion of the latter, during yet another neighborhood quarrel linked to the sending of a ball by the couple's children in the hedge of the pensioner's pavilion.

“It was him or me”, had indicated to the investigators the man who recognized the shots but not the intention to kill nor the racist crime.

According to him, Saïd El Barkaoui was holding a shovel in both hands on the day of the tragedy, with “the intention of hitting him”.

But the investigators had not found a shovel.

"An unprecedented decision in the repression of racist crimes"

The sentence of 25 years in prison, "is an unprecedented decision in the repression of racist crimes", assured at the time of the verdict Guillaume Traynard, the lawyer for SOS Racisme, who had brought a civil action.

He was pleased that "the racist character [has] been recognized in a full and complete way while it was contested by the accused".

Defense lawyer, Anthony Sutter had on his side the “feeling of not having been heard” and “the frustration of saying to himself that we are condemning to 25 years in prison in two and a half hours”.

Justice

Lozère: Opening on appeal of the trial of a murder "to know the feeling of killing"

Justice

Bas-Rhin: sexual assault on 34 girls, rape, "shark game" ... An ex-teacher in front of the assizes

  • Justice

  • Court case

  • assize court

  • Racism

  • Sos racism

  • Assassination attempt

  • Paul

  • Mont-de-Marsan

  • Aquitaine