The jury of the Mons Assize Court delivered its verdict this Thursday followingnoon: Sébastien Gotiaux was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Mitigating circumstances were considered. When the sentence was announced, Sébastien Gotiaux remained impassive.
Since Monday, the Assize Court of Mons has considered the trial of Momignien, now 39 years old. He was accused of having killed Maxime Roget, a 32-year-old Frenchman, of having tried to kill the four police officers from the Botha zone who intervened on the scene, a rebellion once morest them as well as an infraction of the legislation on weapons.
The facts date back to the night of May 3 to 4, 2020, at rue Pilarde in Beauwelz (Momignies). That day, the two friends spend the followingnoon at a friend’s house in Anor for a barbecue. They cut each other’s hair. Remember that we are at the beginning of the health crisis and that gatherings are prohibited. Sébastien leaves the barbecue, Maxime joins him at home. The two friends drink, film themselves, they toast together to their new haircut. This is the last image of Maxime Roget alive. And then nothing… Sébastien Gotiaux doesn’t remember anything. He will be woken up at 6 a.m. by the special units that intervened on the spot. He will discover the inanimate body of Maxime Roget, on the ground on the street.
Testimonials from neighbors
We will have to rely on the testimonies of the neighbors, who witnessed scenes of extreme violence to find out what happened, which snatched Maxime Roget from life.
The latter say that an argument broke out on the street between the two friends who seem tipsy. Sébastien wants his friend to leave, “get out, this is my home, this is my family”. Armed, he fired a cannon shot in the face of Maxime who shouted “what did you do to me, I’m pissing blood, I pissed myself”. The 32-year-old Frenchman falls, Sébastien goes back to his house, he comes out. He strikes regarding fifteen blows with the butt in Maxime’s face, the neighbors will evoke the terrible cracking of the cranial box. Again, the Momignien goes home, comes out and stands over Maxime and shoots him, point-blank in the neck. There will be a second scene of regarding fifteen shots in the face.
The Botha zone police were called to the scene shortly before 1 a.m. They will progress from the start of the street to the house, where they will use a hedge as visual, not ballistic, cover. They hear the last gasps of Maxime Roget, who will die before their eyes a few dozen centimeters away. Behind the leafy trees, they hear a man breathing heavily, as if annoyed. A cry rises: “band of bastards”.
Chief Inspector Sobry leaps up and shouts “police.” He wipes a shot, which will not hit him and will arrive in a concrete stake. The policeman retaliates with five shots, one of them hits Sébastien Gotiaux who is going home. The neighbors see him reload the gun, he won’t come out. The place is “frozen” by the police and reinforcements arrive. The special units will dislodge Sébastien Gotiaux by calling him around 6am, to tell him that a body is lying in front of his house. Le Momignien comes out, approaches the body of his friend, and says to him “and fat, wake up”.
Maxime will not wake up, he died under the blows of Sébastien. The shooter is neutralized, arrested and deprived of liberty. Wounded, he is taken to the hospital for surgery.
On Wednesday, the jurors of the Assize Court found Sébastien Gotiaux guilty of murder of Maxime Roget, of attempted murder of Chief Inspector Sobry, not of the three other police officers and finally, of rebellion once morest the four officials from police. He was acquitted of the weapons offence.
Gwendoline Fusillier
