The public prosecutor’s office of Mons-Tournai confirms to us that it decided on Tuesday to appeal the decision taken, earlier in the day, by the chamber of the council of Tournai, to place the driver at the origin of the drama of the carnival of Strépy-Bracquegnies under electronic bracelet. The appeal of the prosecution being suspensive, Paolo F. remains imprisoned in the prison of Tournai.
On March 20, the 30-year-old drove into the crowd during the pick-up of part of Gilles’ company “Les Boute-en-Train” at the Bracquegnies carnival. He killed six people, seriously injured ten others and slightly injured several dozen participants in this collection… The driver continued his journey and stopped a kilometer further. He was placed under arrest warrant for the count of manslaughter and involuntary bodily harm resulting in death in the context of a road accident. . Since then, he has been in pre-trial detention. As for his passenger Nino, he was released under conditions. He was still charged with failing to assist a person in danger. The driver had neither drunk nor consumed narcotics.
” The public prosecutor’s office considers that there is a risk of recidivism given his background and his propensity for excessive speed“, tells us the deputy of the King’s Prosecutor Damien Verheyen.
The indictment chamber has 15 days to rule.
“The fact that the accused might, on his release, be the victim of reprisals did not however weigh in the balance. It is not for his safety that we are asking for his continued detention. This criterion is not part of the conditions for maintaining“, continues the substitute.
The electronic surveillance had been requested by the driver’s lawyer, Maître Frank Discepoli. The prosecution therefore thwarts his plans: “It’s silly”, comments the lawyer. “I made this request because by definition, he will not be able to drive if he is on a bracelet. And if he had been released under bracelet, it is not at his place that he would have returned but far from La Louvière. I had first thought of a simple release under the condition of not driving, but this option would have caused too much noise.”
