One van, then two, then three. The burglars were arrested at the fourth vehicle forced into one evening on September 10. The three men involved visited hotel car parks in Yutz and Amnéville, before ending with Thionville. A first victim gave the alert: she saw a BMW and three individuals escape on board. The police then spotted the sedan and arrested its three passengers: two 18-year-old boys and another 28-year-old. They readily admit to having broken four professional vans. Three laptops, a hedge trimmer, a chainsaw, a satchel, cash, a jigsaw, or even a hole punch would have disappeared. Complainants have not recovered all of their property. “Everything we stole was in the car,” defend the three defendants presented for immediate appearance before the Thionville criminal court on Monday afternoon.
They live in the north of France, they were passing through to visit family in a Travelers’ camp set up in Yutz. They explain that the flights should have enabled them to finance their return trip, to pay for gasoline and a snack. “But all their supporters present at the hearing could have prepared a sandwich for them,” quips the deputy prosecutor of Thionville.
The defense lawyer, who came from Lille, prefers to salute the good faith of these clients. “They recognized everything, there was no unpleasant and unhealthy game with the police,” he insists.
The court pronounces three months of suspended sentence to say the least seasoned. The other two, in recidivism, receive six months in prison, including three suspended probation for two years. In particular, they will have the obligation to compensate the victims.
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