The State sentenced to pay 15,000 euros to a young man blinded by a shot of LBD

Europe1 .fr with AFP 16:13 p.m., March 29, 2023

The judicial court of Paris on Tuesday sentenced the State to pay 15,000 euros in compensation to a 23-year-old man blinded in 2019 by a shot of LBD (launcher of defense balls) of a police officer in Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines). During urban violence in the sensitive district of Val-Fourré, in October 2019, the young man, then 19 years old, had been shot by LBD in the right eye, which he has since lost the use, while returning home.

Accused of having participated in an ambush against the police, while he claimed his innocence, he was finally released in November 2020 by the Versailles Court of Appeal after being sentenced to three years in prison at first instance. After a claim for compensation of 30,000 euros rejected in 2022 by the Directorate of Judicial Services, he summoned the judicial agent of the State before the judge of summary proceedings.

What involvement and status?

The hearing, which was held in February before the Paris Judicial Court, mainly revolved around the involvement of Amadou N. and his status as a "third party" in this operation. "The right to compensation is open to people who are not concerned by the judicial procedure," third parties, said the direction of judicial services.

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However, had argued his lawyer in his summons, "Amadou N. is necessarily a third of this police operation", because of his innocence established by his acquittal. In his conclusions, the judicial agent of the State had considered for his part that there was "a real doubt on the possibility of considering Mr. Amadou N. as a third party to the police operation", because of the criminal proceedings against him, even if the latter resulted, in the end, in a acquittal.

A provisional indemnity of 15,000 euros

The interim relief judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff: "the status of third party of Mr. Amadou N. to the judicial police operations during which he was injured is not the subject of serious dispute," he wrote in his order.

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"The judicial agent of the State does not produce any evidence to establish that Mr. Amadou N. would have participated in the clashes with the police forces during which he was wounded," he also notes. The judicial agent of the State is thus ordered to pay the young man "a provisional compensation of 15,000 euros to be used on the final compensation for bodily injury". Contacted by AFP, Amadou N.'s lawyer was not immediately reachable.