A man was sentenced this week for assaulting and threatening to kill three firefighters who had been called out to help his father during a party in the town of Viesly, in the Nord department.
The incident took place on 21 October, at 7.00 pm to be precise. Firefighters from the SDIS 59 They were called out to attend to a man who had fallen ill. On arrival, the three officers were accosted by the victim’s son, who was clearly heavily intoxicated.
An open wound for a firefighter
He insulted the paramedics. A passer-by tried to reason with him, but the man physically attacked him. It was then that the three firefighters tried to pull them apart. Beside himself, the unruly man becomes even more violent and tries to strike the firefighters, who escape with grazes and, in the case of the most seriously injured, an open wound to the hand caused by a bite.
“ I went through a stressful period that lasted several days, until the gentleman agreed to have blood tests; I wanted to make sure I hadn’t contracted a blood-borne disease " said the injured firefighter, testifying in court.
A custodial sentence and compensation
On the evening of the incident, the defendant was eventually pinned to the ground before being taken into custody by the gendarmes. When questioned the following day, he stated that he could no longer remember anything and that he had drunk three pastis and three port wines. His criminal record shows 19 convictions, all alcohol-related… “ He threatened the firefighters with death, kicked them and smashed a mobile phone ”, laments Ms Tonkeva, representing the civil party.
Jean-Claude Bonvarlet was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, six of which were suspended subject to probation. He will have to pay a total of €2,016 in compensation for the damages caused.