Attempted assassination in Nîmes: “This story is getting on my nerves!” The atmosphere is tense at the trial of Richard Perez

L’une des armes saisies le soir du 23 février 2013 près du golf de Vacquerolles à Nîmes. MIDI LIBRE – FRANCOIS BARRERE

Follow live the third day of the trial at the Gard Assizes of Richard Perez, the Nîmes businessman, nicknamed "The King of Trash Cans". He is accused of having wanted to eliminate a rival with the help of several convicts, on February 23, 2013 in Nîmes. That evening, a police officer was also targeted by several shotgun shots upon arriving at the scene of the ambush. The five accused, who appear free, deny any involvement in this project.

The trial of Richard Perez, 60 years old, Robert Alouache, 51 years old, Hakim Mammad, 51 years old, Jean-Baptiste Belliure, 65 years old, and Djemel Khadir, a 43-year-old from Nîmes, who are accused of an assassination attempt, committed in Nîmes on February 23, 2023, continues this Wednesday, June 12, before the Gard Assize Court. The verdict is expected Friday evening. Follow the main highlights of this hearing throughout this week.

After a first day of hearing on Monday devoted to examining the personality of three of the accused, Djemel Khadir, Jean-Baptiste Belliure and Richard Perez, yesterday's hearing was was devoted to the examination of the personality of Hakim Mammad and Robert Alouache. This Wednesday, June 12, we enter the heart of the debate with the testimony this morning of investigators from the SRPJ in Montpellier and ballistics and DNA experts.

– 10 h 20 : "For the Houlonne family, Raymond was indeed the target"

The captain : "The day after the events Robert Alouache left to join Richard Perez in Isère, this trip could be similar to go green. We identify another common number, Jean-Baptiste Belliure, a man who has a long criminal past and who is very well known, we know that he does not hesitate to fire when necessary. Released during the summer of 2012 after many years in prison. His phone has been registered in Mr. Mammad's phone under the nickname l’former, since the beginning of February. Jean-Baptiste Belliure is also a very regular contact with Richard Perez. He turns his phone off in the afternoon and turns it back on the next day, the only time in four months that it has been cut off like this."< /p>

"Eavesdropping on Raymond Houlonne and his son showed that they were very worried, that they didn’ had no doubt about the fact that he was targeted, Raymond Houlonne even expressing guilt at having taken an apartment in this residence which was close to the nightclub in which he had shares. ;

“He asks his son to provide a small gift for the applicants, such as a ski trip, to thank them for alerting the police. These conversations showed that for the Houlonne family Raymond was indeed the target and that he felt in danger.

"Telephone conversations with Richard Perez and Robert Alouache which then ring a little false, they know very well how police investigations work and when we listen to the conversations, we could think that they were trying to justify the contacts they could have with Mammad. We felt that Mr. Perez was worried about himself and his loved ones."

"Eavesdropping shows that Mr. Perez is in hiding and did not go to the inauguration of his own nightclub La Plantation because he had heard that Raymond Houlonne had been seen on the nightclub parking lot."

"It was shown that the conflict was far from over and that Mr. Houlonne was in a bad position because&rsquo ;he was alone."

– 10 h : Robert Alouache gets angry and is called to order

The investigator continues. "His partner completely refuted his statements, she worked in a restaurant in Lyon, had no time for romantic relationships and knew no one in Nîmes. Mr. Mammad's DNA was found in the car and on the rear plate, and this supports his statement that I am the driver. His DNA also found on the trigger tail of the 7.65"

“Throughout his trip, Mr. Mammad will send text messages to Djemel from the chicha, asking him to retrieve a contact on site. Once he has made sure that this contact is indeed at the chicha, he will turn off his cell phone, a technique to prevent the police from locating you.”

“We find a number in his phone, Richard, identified as Richard Perez, an individual we know well, linked to organized crime. It was common knowledge at the time that he was in conflict with Raymond Houlonne."

"Basically they were childhood friends, having worked in the same company owned by Mr. Perez. He was incarcerated and the conflict began, Mr. Houlonne was suspected of having kidnapped Mr. Perez's wife, then of having murdered Richard Perez's father.

"Mammad contacted Perez on February 20, the day the vehicle was stolen, and on February 21, the day before the incident. also met in Lyon. The day after the events Richard Perez left for ten days in Isère. The fadet of Robert Alouache is studied and we realize that he was present the day before the events at the meeting in Lyon and he has contacts with M.Mammad"

Robert Alouache gets angry and interrupts the investigator. "It was to buy a vehicle! I can't hear stuff like that, I don't want lies!!! This thing is getting on my nerves, this is starting to piss me off, Madam President, I respect you but I can't hear stuff like that!"

The president asks him to calm down. "This is the first warning there will be no more ;!"

– 9 h 30 : the testimony of the director of investigation of the PJ

The hearing begins after procedural skirmishes over missing documents in the file. The president puts an end to it: “We are not here to count points, this case is far from perfect, all parties were able to make requests, the institutional game has been played. We judge as it stands and we will draw all the conclusions that we have to draw and it will be repeated to the jurors that the doubt must obviously benefit the accused.”

At the bar, the captain of the Montpellier PJ who led the investigation, and who recalls the course of events on February 23, 2013 at the Valvert residence in Nîmes.

” The PJ was notified on Saturday 23 February in the morning, the first investigations were carried out by the Nîmes police station and by my colleagues on duty for attempted homicide of a police officer and attempted assassination.

"The Nîmes ferry officials received a call from the command room. A suspicious individual at the bottom of the Valvert residence with an individual carrying a long object that could resemble an iron bar. Driver Bac remained in the vehicle, the others intervened through the two entrances. It is night, a police officer notices an individual hiding at the bottom of a vehicle, he takes out his weapon to target him, the individual comes out of his hiding place and is armed with a shotgun he retreats, then advances, the policeman has no other choice but to shoot four times, he rushes in pursuit, the individual turns around and fires his gun. direction twice".

"Another vehicle in the ferry hears the shots, a police officer sees an individual running away and hides in a hedge. The other vehicle in the ferry saw a second individual running towards the golf course. The individual is armed and points it in their direction and disappears into the woods."

"The first individual is arrested and he says his name is Mammad Hakim and he comes from Lyon ; he is hooded, the police say to him: "You wanted to kill our colleague and he says no, I am only the driver."

"Other colleagues arrive and discover a suspicious vehicle with a broken window and fake plates. Nearby a 7.65 pistol stocked with 8 ammunition and a Renault starter card. On the other individual's escape route, a pump-action shotgun loaded with three rounds of ammunition was found."

"A resident of the residence approaches to ask what is happening and announces his identity Raymond Houlonne, the police officers who know their area say to themselves that it cannot be a coincidence that armed individuals intervened in the foot of his residence."

"The vehicle was stolen on the night of February 21, a three-liter gasoline can filled. This is for us a technique known to our services, they use a falsely plated war vehicle to commit the acts and which is intended to then be destroyed, either the people are recovered or use another vehicle already positioned.& quot;

"Raymond Houlonne is heard, he lives part of the time with his partner and another home in Balaruc. He returned around 8 p.m., half an hour before the person with his motorcycle was reported. Says he has no enemies and does not understand.

"A sawed-off shotgun is discovered during a search in a hiding place at Mr. Mammad's home in Lyon, a bulletproof vest, walkie-talkies, a replica assault rifle, ammunition. Hakim Mammad explains that he went down by train because he had learned that his ex-partner had a new boyfriend living in this residence , and that he therefore wanted to surprise them. He had heard screams of gunshots and started running. On his remark I am only the driver, he said that the colleagues were wrong, and having said I am a runner.

"He was adamant that his fingerprints and DNA would not be discovered on the Renault Mégane."

 

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