AND HERE IS THE NEWS…. 

a weekly update of the local news

WITH CAROLINE HILL

Shop-lifter attacks security guards – When a 34 year old man was accused of stealing a tablet computer from Carrefour Supermarket in Canet, he became violent and attacked the three security guards who were trying to apprehend him.  Police were called and he was also found to have stolen several cameras.  He is in jail awaiting trial.
 
Student robberies – 2 men have been arrested following 6 separate incidents at Lycée Maillol in Perpignan where students had been threatened and then robbed of mobile phones and cash.  A 22 year old (already known to the police) and his 24 year old accomplice are awaiting trial.
 
Domestic dispute ends in tragedy – A row between a husband and wife in a quiet residential area of Canet ended in tragedy when the 68 year old man was shot and fatally injured.  The wife is ‘helping police with their enquiries’.
 
Manslaughter charge after ‘Rave’ party – A 32 year old man has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for ‘violence with a weapon causing death without the intention to kill’.  The incident happened at a rave in Ille-sur-Tet in 2009 when 32 year old Julien Baurière stabbed Julien Sanguinetti in the cheek with a screwdriver – which then pierced his brain.
 
Man killed by train – On Friday afternoon, the TER service between Perpignan and Portbou was halted for 2 hours after a train hit a man on the tracks near Villeneuve-de-la-Raho.  The 39 year old man from Perpignan died instantly and it has been suggested that it was a case of suicide. The train driver was treated for shock.
 
Easter weekend Traffic Controls – A pre-planned weekend of controls has proved that there are still a vast amount of drivers who do not know the highway code.  Among the 115 reported offences were; 23 failed breath tests, 11 drivers using mobile phones, 9 drivers not wearing seatbelts, 15 speeding offences (including a 21 year old Spaniard caught doing 216km/h on the A9) and 2 drug offences.
 
Airbus A350 test flights – Don’t be surprised if you see a ‘Qatar Airways’ jumbo jet flying over the region this week, it is just part of the final testing of the new Airbus A350, and they use Perpignan Airport due to the short runway and strong winds.  The plane is decorated in the Qatar Airways livery in recognition of the fact that they are the first company to have placed an order.
 
Minors arrested after stealing car – Police returning from an incident were surprised to see a car parked in the middle of a traffic island, and as they approached, 3 youths jumped out and tried to escape.  One of them was caught hiding in a local park but he explained that he was only the passenger and he suspected that the car was stolen, which was why he was wearing latex gloves.  The Peugeot 205 was found to have been stolen from a property in Montescot, and 2 youths are to face juvenile court shortly.
 
Jailed for not reporting a murder – Algerian born Chabane Boudraa explained to a court that when he first came to France his two neighbours, Fatma Yousef and Mme Lagneau had helped him and they had become good friends.  When Fatma woke him at dawn asking him to come and see what had happened to Mme Lagneau he assumed she was ill and quickly went to see – and was appalled to find that she had been tortured and murdered.  His first thought was that as he was an illegal immigrant he did not want to be involved with calling the police, and he has been sentenced to one year in jail for not calling for help.  69 year old Fatma was given a life sentence for stabbing her friend 54 times, placing a carrot between her legs and pouring caustic soda over the body.
 
And finally….
 
Tossed Salad?   – On Saturday night a fight broke out between the ex-partner and current partner of a 32 year old woman in her home in Amelie-les-Bains.  The ‘ex’ grabbed a wooden salad bowl and hit his rival over the head with it, the current boyfriend, a 47 year old Dutchman then retaliated with the remains of the broken bowl, and in the melée the object of their affection also received several slaps and went to seek refuge with a neighbour.  The love rivals were taken to hospital – and the young woman has declared that she is no longer interested in either of them.