For two weeks, the juvenile court of Seine-Saint-Denis, meeting behind closed doors, will delve into a case of incredible violence: the torture of Oliver Tony, 17 years old, from the Rougemont district in Sevran (Seine-Saint-Denis), on the night of November 6 to 7, 2019. Of the five accused, now aged 21 to 32, only one was a minor at the time of the facts.
All from Noisy-le-Sec, they will be tried from this Tuesday for the kidnapping and confinement of the teenager, with aggravating factors. His alleged captors are also accused of acts of torture or barbarism. Homicide intent was not accepted. Despite the eighteen stab wounds noted on the victim’s body, none were fatal. The autopsy concluded that he died of asphyxiation. Oliver was in such a weak state that he choked on his own vomit.
At the origin of this outburst of violence, a “double carrot” between small cannabis dealers. The evening of the kidnapping, Oliver and a friend of Sevran took the road to Noisy-le-Sec. There, they met with customers who had to buy 500 grams of cannabis from them. However, the Sevranais showed up empty-handed. They were never in possession of an ounce of drugs.
The young people of Noisy-le-Sec also came with empty pockets. This scam attempt threw the fake buyers into a rage: two of them, WH, 17 years old, and Harouna K., 27 years old, then unleashed themselves on Oliver.
A video of the ordeal posted on the victim’s Snapchat account
For eight days, Oliver’s loved ones experienced a real ordeal, not knowing if he was still alive. The images they discovered on Snapchat made them fear the worst. A video filmed by Olivier’s attackers and posted on the victim’s Snapchat account showed the first moments of his ordeal on the edge of a canal. We could clearly see the teenager beaten and plunged into this watercourse, identified as the Ourcq canal in Noisy-le-Sec.
The abuse inflicted on this young man did not stop there. He was then sequestered in a cellar on Allée Gounod, still in Noisy-le-Sec, where the violence resumed. Then he was locked in the trunk of a Clio which took the A10 motorway towards Tours (Indre-et-Loire), 250 km from Seine-Saint-Denis. There, below the A10, in the town of Veigné, his executioners abandoned the young man, still alive, in a ditch. And they would have taken over the direction of Noisy-le-Sec.
Eight days later, on the instructions of one of the suspects, the tortured body of Oliver Tony was discovered, lying in a soggy field, putting an end to the endless wait of his loved ones. The shock wave then went far beyond the circle of friends and family. The inhabitants of Sevran, where the teenager had grown up, and those of Noisy-le-Sec, where his executioners lived, gathered during a white march along the canal.
Defendants who minimize their involvement
Who could have participated in these abuses and humiliations which could make one think of a new gang of barbarians? Young men known to the law, but without a serious record. The investigators will first go back to the alleged author of the video, WH, the minor in the gang. Described as a “very talkative” young man, “of a cheerful appearance”, he has never been convicted but he appears “very anchored in the world of narcotics, being himself a very heavy user”. He swears he didn’t hit Oliver.
A second man is identified: Harouna K. His record includes four convictions for violence. With a professional baccalaureate in his pocket, he took on a series of temporary assignments. He would have been present from the beginning to the end of the events. He is also a fan of an ultra-violent combat sport, MMA. The day after the events, his cell phone was limited to… Thailand, his escape destination. He recognizes at least three stab wounds. He would have transported the victim, still alive, into the trunk: “He came out of the trunk by himself,” he explained. When he left, Oliver was alive and standing. »
The trip took place in the company of Adama C., 28 years old, nicknamed “the Old Man” and known for petty crimes. Defended by Master Frank Berton, he admitted “scattered memories of that night due to alcohol consumption”. He said he did not commit any violence against Oliver. Once he arrived in the Tours region, “Harouna K. left alone on the path with Oliver Tony,” he told the investigating judge.
One woman is particularly awaiting this trial. This is Ismene, Oliver Tony’s mother. Since the death of her son, she has spared no ordeal: from the videos of the canal to the reconstruction of the facts, she has endured everything. She is waiting, from this Tuesday, for the truth about her child’s last days.
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