Moroccan Detainee Sentenced for Vandalism at French Detention Center

Rachid, 22, appeared on Monday before the Bayonne judicial court. Under an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) where he has been living for a year and a half after his expulsion from Spain for offenses, the young man committed damage in the Hendaye Administrative Detention Center (CRA): destruction of two fixed telephones, two others installed in the women’s area, two surveillance cameras and a third camera in the Cimade office, an association that helps migrants.

Justifying his actions, Rachid says he wants to "speak to the King of Morocco" and has committed his acts "for human rights." "Our king is sick, he has been cursed." He is looking for "a treasure in Spain". According to the psychiatric expert, the defendant "simulates mental disorders, even if at the time of the facts, his discernment was probably impaired due to drug use," reports France Bleu. The young man is addicted to ecstasy, cannabis and alcohol. "He has had suicidal ideas for several years," notes his lawyer. "He has no goal and dying is completely indifferent to him." "I’m going to leave this world," says the defendant.

The Deputy Prosecutor of the Republic requested three months of actual imprisonment against Rachid. The Bayonne judicial court sentenced him to six months in prison, with immediate incarceration. He is also required to pay 4,058 euros to the Ministry of Justice for the damage. He will have to be tried again before the same court for setting fire to his cell. "Over there, you set your cell on fire," states the president of the court, Nadine Regereau-Lenier. "When the guards opened it, the mattress and the television were on fire, you were at the window to have your face in the open air, between the bars."