A woman from Biterroise sentenced to thirty months in prison for having bought a thousand Tramadol tablets by stealing vital cards

Le tribunal a fait preuve de clémence envers la prévenue. Midi Libre – PIERRE SALIBA

Au tribunal de Béziers, la prévenue a été condamnée à deux ans et demi d’emprisonnement dont 21 mois assortis d’un sursis probatoire pour avoir dérobé des cartes vitales et des cartes bancaires.

The tears of the defendant resonated in the Béziers courtroom when the public prosecutor announced his decision. "The facts are clear, you will enter into the process of condemnation, he asserted. I propose two years of imprisonment without possible sentence adjustment, as well as the revocation of the suspension of his previous conviction pronounced by the sentence enforcement judge of Montpellier." On the bench in the courtroom, Mrs H. took her head in her hands, no longer controlling her emotion.

Aged around thirty, this Biterroise has, on several occasions, stolen vital cards in order to buy psychotropic substances. Tramadol in this case. She also stole bank cards from their owners and obtained these same substances using fictitious prescriptions. Thirty boxes were purchased from pharmacies in and around Béziers, the equivalent of 1,000 tablets. The modus operandi ?  Always the same : cleaning in various nurseries, she stole the vital cards from the employees' handbags. Thefts which began in November 2023 and which continued until his arrest on February 20, and his placement in police custody.

"I acknowledge the facts in full"

"I acknowledge the full facts,confessed the defendant, in tears. I was put on tramadol following my cancer. This medication has euphoric effects, it's the only thing that kept me going. I know I need treatment.

– Why not have done it before?, the president then cut it off

– I tried to wean myself off on my own, but it was complicated because I was at the street. I had to meet the needs of my children."

It is on this personal situation that his lawyer Mr. D’Alimonte relied. "The sentence must be personalized to my client's situation. Listening to her story, we never imagine for a moment that she could be incarcerated."

The lenient court

And then he detailed: "You are dealing with a single woman who has her three dependent children (including two in a situation of disability) and without the slightest financial help from their fathers. She was beaten by her previous companion, she was not in the full capacity to seek help."

A pleading which had the merit of touching the court. The defendant was found guilty of the facts and sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment, including 21 months suspended on probation for a period of 2 years. She benefited from an accommodation ab initio, which will allow her to serve her sentence at home, under electronic surveillance. She will finally have to pay the moral and material damages of the civil parties, as well as an obligation of care and work.

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