the essential Exasperated by a series of thefts on his farm, Mathieu, a lumberjack in Hérault, pursued fuel thieves, ending up accidentally hitting them. Supported by farmers sharing his exasperation, he appeared this Tuesday, November 5 for an act that he describes as a gesture of despair.
Mathieu, a lumberjack from Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare in Hérault, finds himself before the Béziers court for a case dating back to last May. Victim of numerous thefts on his farm, he was once again targeted by individuals who came to siphon his fuel. Warned by his surveillance cameras, he then decided to react. “You know, I have been the victim of numerous thefts. I have not stopped filing complaints since the creation of my business,” he confided to the microphone of France Bleu Hérault.
Faced with the criminals, Mathieu took his car to follow them, while contacting the police. The race, however, ended abruptly. “In a bend, it was dark, I didn’t see the car, I hit them […] but it was not intentional”, he assured during the hearing. Cyril, his passenger, also supports this version by explaining that the conditions were unfavorable: “It really was not voluntary. They braked on a bend on a wet road. […] I don’t remember their car having lights.”
Supported by his peers
Before the court, around forty farmers, also confronted with the thefts, came to show their support. “It is an act of exasperation because it has been visited several times,” declared Jérôme Despey to Free Midday. The president of the Hérault Chamber of Agriculture estimated that Mathieu had only acted out of desperation.
The lumberjack was finally sentenced to a suspended fine of 1,000 euros for violence with a weapon.
