A French police officer accused of seriously injuring a man during recent riots in Marseille has been ordered to remain in pre-trial custody by a French court. The decision to detain the officer has prompted an outcry from colleagues across France.
The officer, identified as Christophe, is one of a group of four policemen facing prosecution on a charge of violence by a group with authority, for what took place in early July during riots that erupted across France. The unrest broke out after a 17-year-old called Nahel was shot dead by an officer at a traffic check in Nanterre near Paris. The victim, Hedi, an assistant restaurant manager, was badly wounded and his skull disfigured by the "flash ball" fired by the officer.
The officer admitted to the court that he had fired his riot gun once. However, he said he did not see anyone lying on the ground wounded and his lawyer told the court there was "no proof" he had hit him. The prosecutor told the court it was clear from CCTV images that the victim had come under attack. He said the officer should remain in pre-trial detention because of the risk of "fraudulent collusion" with colleagues.
The judge ruled that there were serious indications of the officer's involvement in the incident and despite his partial confession, his initial denial had discredited his entire account. Hedi's lawyer Jacques Preziosi welcomed the decision to keep him in custody. While the officer's account was completely incoherent, he said "finally we have a confession that he fired the LBD... until now everyone denied it". Earlier this week government spokesman Olivier Véran phoned Hedi to wish him a good recovery.
