AND HERE IS THE NEWS…

….a quick glance at the latest local news with Caroline Manson

Light aircraft crashes in river bed

The two occupants of a light aircraft are lucky to be alive following an engine failure at around 8pm last Friday night.  They were heading towards the airport when the breakdown occurred and the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing a few kilometres from the runway.  The plane finished on its roof in a dry river bed.  The two people on board, aged 34 and 18, were able to escape from the plane on their own before being taken care of by the emergency services.  They only suffered minor injuries.

Cannabis cakes discovered in car

When police in Perpignan spotted a suspicious looking vehicle, they signalled to the driver to pull over.  He was having none of it and after a brief chase he abandoned the car in the St. Assiscle area and fled on foot.  Looking into the vehicle the police could see several cannabis ‘cakes’ and knowing that the driver would not be keen to lose them decided to stake-out the car.  Around 1am they spotted a man on a scooter circling the vehicle, who then opened the door.  The police quickly arrested him and took custody of the 5 blocks of cannabis.  When questioned the scooter driver told them that the driver of the car had given him 100€ to retrieve the drugs and that he had been told to leave the keys in the glove box.  The following day the owner of the car was arrested and sentenced to 4 months in prison – the scooter driver was not charged.

3,000 bottles and boxes of wine to be auctioned

On Wednesday 13th November an incredible haul of 3,000 bottles and boxes of red, white and rosé wine will be auctioned.  The precise origin of this stock is, for the time being, confidential but it is a ‘seizure-sale’ in order to pay company debts.  The wine will be auctioned by the carton, with no reserve prices.  The auctioneers state that such a quantity is rather rare but that they once sold a stock of 3,000 bottles of vodka.  If you fancy a bargain and/or are planning a big party then get down to the Perpignan Auction house, 1154 Chemin de Mailloles, at 9am on November 13th.

Gran Jonquera Shopping Centre extension now open

Last week marked the unveiling of the huge extension to the Gran Jonquera Shopping Centre just over the border.  There are at least a dozen new stores, and the commercial area now covers 58,300m² on two floors. There is a giant Eiffel Tower as a landmark outside, as it is the goal of Mr Escudero the founder of Gran Jonquera, to attract French customers.  The new shops include Zara, Primark, Adidas and Stradivarius (which sells clothes not violins).  One person who will not be going there is the Mayor of Claira who is extremely disappointed that shops such as Zara and Primark have chosen to open in La Jonquera rather than the Salanca shopping centre in the region, which had plans for an extension if it had been able to attract these stores.  He fears that other brands will close in Claira, and that some of the 1200 employees in the shopping centres will lose their jobs.

Thief arrested after lucrative burglary

In July, a house in the Catalunya district south of Perpignan was burgled. The thief stole a van estimated at 45,000€, sailing equipment, GoPro camera, MacBook etc and several watches. The total was estimated at close to 200,000€. A few weeks later the van was spotted in Rodez having been involved in a scooter theft and failure to stop for a control.  Two days later, again in Rodez, the van was spotted but the driver refused to stop.  Later that afternoon the police spotted the van in a traffic jam in Perpignan and a mini chase ensued but the driver made a dangerous u-turn in the middle of the road, damaging a scooter, the police car, a Tesla and a Seat. The police later discovered the abandoned empty van and managed to track down the suspect – who was already known to the police for sexual assault, and did not have a driving licence.  On searching his home they discovered professional hairdressing equipment, documents relating to a Renault Clio stolen in the Aveyron and also a little Chardonneret (a little songbird of a protected species).  In court he was charged with burglary, repeat theft, driving without a licence, refusal to comply and possession of a protected animal species.  He was sentenced to two years in prison and also ordered to compensate his victims, receive psychological care and to pass his driving licence.

Two fatal road accidents this weekend

There were two deaths following road accidents this Saturday.  The first took place on the D900 between Saint-Jean-Pla-de-Corts and Le Boulou when a large truck and a 4×4 collided.  The 41 year old driver of the car died instantly and the passenger, and also the driver of the truck, were transported to Perpignan Hospital in a state of emergency.  The other accident took place on the D66 between Thuès-les-Bains and the Canaveilles tunnel when a 61 year old motorcyclist lost control of his machine and went over the concrete parapet, falling 20 metres.  18 firefighters intervened on site but unfortunately the man died at the scene.

And finally……

A man from Perpignan was very proud of the fact he passed his driving test at the age of 29 but is now resentful of the fact that, three years later he has been caught speeding 3 times and only has 4 points remaining on his licence and has been forced to take a road safety awareness course.  He finds it particularly galling as he had been driving from the age of 16, without a licence, and had never encountered any problems – or police.  He believes that driving without a licence makes you more vigilant and that you are very careful not to be noticed on the road and you respect the road signs…