Romans-sur-Isère: a man tried in February for threatening to kill the mayor

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credits: Loïc Venance/AFP 17:43 p.m., December 29, 2023

A man accused of threatening to kill the mayor of Romans-sur-Isère, in the wake of the Crépol tragedy, will go on trial on February 5, having refused an immediate appearance before the court of Valence on Friday. Arrested in the Paris region, the defendant, soon to be 27 years old, is accused of having, via the private messaging service of Instagram, threatened to "decapitate" Marie-Hélène Thoraval and "juggle with (her) skull".

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"These are particularly disturbing death threats" against an elected official, prosecutor Laurent de Caigny said during the short hearing. In accordance with his submissions, the accused, who denies having made these threats, was remanded in custody pending trial. The court also requested a psychiatric report.

Threats over the phone and on social media

Marie-Hélène Thoraval (LR) is the head of the town of Romans-sur-Isère where Thomas, a 16-year-old high school student who was stabbed to death during violence at the end of a village dance in mid-November, was educated. The tragedy had aroused strong emotions and tensions in the department and beyond. After several public statements, the mayor received threats by phone and on social networks and filed a complaint.

"These are the most serious, the most disturbing, the most revolting threats to democracy," de Caigny said, describing the message as "undermining the Republic."

Man sentenced to eight months in prison

The defence lawyer, Ivan Flaud, on the contrary, considered that the defendant was "not able to apprehend the shock wave he caused", citing psychiatric problems and behavioural problems.

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The defendant, who according to his family spends a lot of time in front of video games, has already been sentenced several times to prison for similar acts - threats, contempt. A man was already sentenced at the beginning of December to eight months in prison for "insulting the mayor of Romans-sur-Isère by words or threats".