AND HERE IS THE NEWS….
a weekly update of the local news
WITH CAROLINE HILL
Police officer injured by prisoner – Two young brothers had been placed in police cells following their arrest for robbery. Having requested a visit to the toilet, one of the young men then refused to re-enter the cell, and attacked the accompanying police officer, punching him so violently in the face that he fell to the floor and was knocked out.
Motorway tolls rise – From February 1st Autoroutes de la Sud de la France have announced slight increases in toll charges. For the most part this is only in the region of 10cents and in some areas there will be no increases at all. The website autoroute-eco.fr can suggest cunning alternatives to paying full péage charges for example by getting off the motorway and then back on again rather than travelling straight through, the two ‘péage’ tickets will sometimes add up to less than just one. By adding just a few minutes to your journey they suggest you can make savings of up to 20% in places.
Young man’s death was accidental – An autopsy has revealed that the young man whose body was found in a drainage ditch last Sunday died of accidental causes. The 16-year old had attended a party with friends in Corneilla on Friday evening and was last heard of when he texted a friend at 11.30pm to say that he was lost. He did not return home the following day and was found dead on Sunday by a group of his classmates who were helping with the search.
To ski – or not to ski – Entirely your choice but be aware that due to a lot of fresh snow this week the road conditions are not good in the Hauts Cantons. Special equipment is required around Mont-Louis and Font Romeu.
Border police stop car with no driver – On Monday evening a policeman at Le Boulou signalled that he wanted a car to pull in, and had to leap out of the way when it suddenly accelerated and sped past him. Police further along the road threw down a ‘stinger’ and the car came to a halt on the Viaduct, where it was discovered that there was no driver at the wheel. The car was an automatic and apparently the driver had wedged something on the accelerator and then jumped out of the vehicle. The driver was eventually tracked down and is being extradited to Portugal where he is facing numerous burglary charges.
Man kills himself before being ‘tasered’ – Police were called to a house in St Esteve last week by a woman who was concerned about the behaviour of her ex-boyfriend who had just broken into her house in an agitated state, had grabbed a knife and was threatening to kill himself. The woman was evacuated from the house while police and firemen reasoned with the man but finally the man lunged towards a policeman who shot him with a Taser Gun – but somehow he still managed to stab himself in the chest and died later in hospital from his injuries.
Large drugs haul at Le Perthus – A large flat-bed trailer used for transporting motor-bikes drew the attention of customs officials last week. A search under the trailer, registered in the Netherlands, revealed a hidden stash of 35kilos of cannabis with a value of around 100,000€. The driver was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Jean-Paul Alduy delivers ‘knock out blow’ – After many years of being Mayor of Perpignan and, since 2009 President of the Agglomeration, M. Alduy announced this week that he is retiring from the political scene. Responding to a comment from political rival Christian Bourquin (who is a candidate for Mayor) he stated “There is one point on which I agree with M. Bourquin’s statement, and that is where he said that we are not in the same category as politicians as I have never been sentenced to prison, or even indicted”.
And finally,
Armed robbers get a nasty surprise – Two robbers who entered a supermarket on Friday night and held guns to the heads of two employees and demanded that they empty the safe were thwarted in their attempted robbery. To their great surprise, Olivier (one of the men they were holding at gunpoint) was actually a champion in Chinese Martial Arts and a teacher of Kung Fu. They were quickly over-powered when he leapt into action and despite their pleas to be set free, they were arrested.
| Follow Caroline on www.perpignan-post.blogspot.fr |
