Pont-Sainte-Maxence (Oise). The first director of investigation indicted and placed under judicial supervision in the Bénédicte Belair affair

Arnaud B. was the first director of investigation in the Bénédicte Belair affair in 2017. Now retired from the gendarmerie, he is indicted for forgery.

Step after step, the Belair affair remains at the heart of one of the emblematic procedures of the Oise department. The death of Bénédicte in the town of Sarron in April 2017 is still subject to a suspicious death procedure. In a press release provided to AFP, the Senlis prosecutor, Loïc Abrial, explains that he made the decision to indict the director of investigation. The latter had in his time ruled out the possibility of femicide.

This conclusion, corroborated by the prosecutor at the time, caused the victim’s family to jump, particularly Sylvaine Grévin, Bénédicte’s sister.

It was the start of a long procedure with many twists and turns and which even led to the State being condemned for gross negligence following the destruction of seals.

At issue in this new twist leading an investigation director to have to explain himself to the courts are two reports attached to the file.

“A fatal fall”… “No action taken four months later”

Upon the discovery of Bénédicte’s body, the investigation focused on the trail of a fatal fall caused by alcoholism. This same investigation was closed only four months after the events.

On January 16, the former director of investigation was therefore indicted for forgery and was placed under judicial supervision. This decision ended up being imposed since the same director of investigation was summoned several times. He did not show up and provided reasons for excuses.

At the heart of this case, therefore, is the production of reports which “would not be the reality collected on the ground”, asserts one of the civil parties.

Sylvaine Grévin confirms “an indictment for forgery in public documents by a depositary of public authority”. At issue therefore, two reports where the director of investigation indicates having questioned the general practitioner and a friend of Bénédicte Belair about their respective knowledge of domestic violence between the couple. Their answers would have been negative, again according to the director of investigation.

For justice there is above all incomprehension, a gray area and, just a few days ago, the investigating judge in charge of the case decided to commission a psychiatric assessment of at least one of the former gendarmes, therefore the former director of investigation. A report must be on the judge’s desk in four months.

For the record, and now two years ago, Bénédicte’s companion, William M. was indicted for aggravated violence and was placed under the status of assisted witness.

Also note that a complaint was filed against another gendarme who went to the victim’s home in March 2017, a few days before the tragedy. There was already talk of domestic violence.