Visually impaired since a serious car accident, and after several weeks in a coma, Julien Cantat, 40, finds himself in the defendants’ box of the Senlis judicial court. Presented on December 26, as part of a immediate appearancehe must answer for violence committed against his 84-year-old grandmother.
Events which took place during Christmas Eve in a small house in Mesnil-en-Thelle.
What the accused does not seek to deny. “I am responsible,” he admits. But I punched him or slapped him, I’m not sure… I had drunk vodka and I was drunk. It was not reasonable. In general, I am calm, except when someone is looking for me…”
“I hit it but it’s not dramatic…”
The victim is present in the room and testifies in turn. “When he arrived in the evening, he was heavily drunk,” she says. He had drunk a lot of vodka with Redbull. When he wanted to drink again, I took the bottle and emptied it into the kitchen sink. That’s when he punched me in the eye. Then the firefighters and the police arrived… When he consumed alcohol, he was a different person. He had already hit his wife in Rodez and found himself on the street. He never understood that he had to stop. I have 14 grandchildren and none have hit me except him…”
Speaking again, Julien Cantat expresses no remorse: “It’s still serious to throw away alcohol. I would like to know if I can file a complaint against her. I typed it but it’s not dramatic…”
10 months in prison
Statements that make the public prosecutor react. “The lady’s face confirms the extreme violence of the blow. He said he could not tolerate the bottle being emptied. However, his alcoholic problem does not explain everything.” It requires a sentence of 24 months in prison, including 6 months with a probationary suspension. “For the remaining 18 months, I require a committal warrant…”, she adds.
In his pleading, the defense lawyer, Maître Philippe Duboille, highlights his client’s difficulties in understanding. “Alcohol has a real hold on one’s mental health…”
After deliberating, the magistrates sentenced Julien Cantat to 10 months in prison. He returns to detention without even looking at his grandmother.
LG
