chargement...
The trial of the driver who tragically struck and killed 13-year-old Aymen during the Morocco-France World Cup semi-final in 2022 is set to commence this week at the Hérault Criminal Court. On that fateful night, the accused fatally hit the young boy of Moroccan descent in the La Mosson neighborhood of Montpellier, an area already facing socio-economic challenges, igniting unrest in the community.
According to AFP, investigators revealed that just before the incident, the driver was «harassed by a group of youths who tore off a tricolor flag» from his car door. In response, he «suddenly accelerated, made a U-turn on the tram tracks, and struck several young people, including Aymen, who succumbed to his injuries shortly after receiving medical attention.» Another teenager was also injured in the incident.
The driver was apprehended twelve days later in the Pyrénées-Orientales. He faces charges of «voluntary violence with a weapon resulting in death without the intent to kill» and «voluntary violence with a weapon causing a total incapacity to work for more than eight days.» Additionally, an associate stands accused of «harboring a criminal to prevent arrest or investigation.»
The tragedy prompted a march of a thousand people in Montpellier, where participants held white roses in memory of the young victim. The Moroccan consulate notably offered support to Aymen's grieving family. Their lawyer, Marx Gallix, emphasized to AFP that the family is «not seeking revenge» but desires «justice to be served" and for «the perpetrator to reveal the truth, which he has yet to do.»
The two-day trial will also attempt to clarify who else was in the vehicle with the driver. The family's lawyer highlighted that «at the time of the incident, the teenager's relatives had 'called for calm.'»
In 2022, the driver, identified as William C., was described as «born to a mother from the traveler community and a Moroccan father.» AFP reports that psychological experts have diagnosed him with a significant «cognitive deficit.»
