Exasperated at not seeing the car repaired, they kidnap the “mechanic”

La victime est allée porter plainte à la gendarmerie d’Anduze. Midi Libre – JEAN MICHEL MART

A family from Massillargues-Atuech, near Alès, is being prosecuted for extortion, theft and violence in meetings.

The story starts from a stranded car belonging to a 43-year-old woman from Massilargues-Atuech. To repair it, a 60-year-old Belgian friend recommended an amateur mechanic, ready to take care of the vehicle for the sum of 500 euros. Money is transferred by transfer. But thinking of a problem in the transaction, the forty-year-old also brings to the “garage mechanic” 500 euros in cash. But seeing that 1 000 € she is missing in total, without repairs being made to the vehicle, she decides, exasperated and helped by her two 19-year-old twin sons and her friend, to remove the repairer.

"Punitive Expedition"

On April 15, the group kidnapped him and put him in a car. Once in a remote corner, they beat him numerous times and forced him to sign an acknowledgment of debt and threatened him with reprisals if he filed a complaint. Under duress, the victim signed the document but quickly went to the Anduze gendarmerie. He also received 5 days of ITT following the attack.

Arrested at their home, the four accused are not known to the justice services. Before the prosecution this Wednesday, April 24, the sixty-year-old admits the facts, but the mother and her two sons dispute, affirming that the victim got into the car of her own accord and signed the document of her own free will. 60~/p>

Placed under judicial supervision, they will all be tried before the Alès criminal court on October 17 for theft and violence in meetings, threats and extortion. "It’was a punitive expedition", estimates the public prosecutor of Alès, Abdelkrim Grini. "They are one of those people who think they can take justice into their own hands. Except that in France, it doesn't happen like that."