3 French police officers were given suspended prison sentences ranging from 3 to 12 months; Because of their use of violence during the arrest of a black young man in 2017.
The young man, Theo Lohaka, who is currently 29 years old, was seriously injured, leaving permanent marks on his body, when he was arrested by three police officers on February 2, 2017 in the city of Seine-Saint-Denis, the poorest department on the French mainland.
After more than 9 hours of deliberations yesterday, Friday, police officer Marc-Antoine Castellane was convicted of causing serious injuries to the young man when he hit him with a baton. The Criminal Court in Saint-Denis-Saint-Denis sentenced him to 12 months in prison and a ban on practicing the profession on public roads for 5 years.
Also, three-month suspended prison sentences were issued against his colleagues Jeremy Doolin and Tony Houchard on charges of premeditated violence.
The Public Prosecutor had called for suspended prison sentences ranging from 3 months to 3 years. The court did not accept the description of “intentional violence leading to permanent disfigurement or disability.”
The ruling was delivered in a tense atmosphere in a crowded room, where Teo’s supporters and plainclothes police were present.
Teo Lohaka was greeted with applause as he left the court. The civil party’s lawyer, Antoine Faye, said: “It is a consolation decision that we consider a victory.”
