Yesterday, the Saint-Martin court received a man for immediate appearance. Suffering from a mental illness and drug addiction, the defendant will be referred for psychiatric care rather than incarceration.
On the afternoon of Saturday, April 12, three gendarmes approached the defendant, WL, holding a machete in his hand.
After searching him, they discovered he was also in possession of a box cutter and a crack pipe. WL quickly became uncooperative and aggressive, spitting on one of the officers.
Surveillance camera footage corroborates the testimonies of the three victims, namely the three gendarmes.
The defendant explained in court: “I had a machete in my hand because I harvest coconuts that I sell. And I had taken cocaine an hour before this altercation.”
Already hospitalized in psychiatry, addicted to crack and cannabis, two medical reports attest to the defendant's incompatibility with incarceration.
Described as a “deviant with impaired judgment and suffering from chronic psychosis,” the defendant requires psychiatric care, according to specialists.
Against the advice of the deputy prosecutor, the president acquitted WL: “Given the defendant’s mental health, the court considers that he is not in a state to appreciate the seriousness of his actions.
He is therefore not held responsible for the facts with which he is accused.”
https://faxinfo.fr/en/tribunal-troubles-psychiatriques-un-prevenu-juge-penalement-irresponsable/
