Judged in Lille, Tuesday, December 13, for violence against his wife, the deputy (La France insoumise, LFI) was sentenced to four months in prison suspended. Three minutes to decide behind closed doors, five minutes to make the decision, then three minutes for a statement by Adrien Quatennens’ lawyer, Ms.e Jade Dousselin. The many journalists present this Tuesday morning at the Lille court were at their expense.
After a half-hour hearing, without an audience, in the semi-darkness of room F of the courthouse – usually reserved for immediate appearances – Céline and Adrien Quatennens listened standing, without flinching, to the decision. of the judge: four months suspended prison sentence and 2,000 euros in damages for non-pecuniary damage. At the start of the morning, the prosecutor’s sentence proposal, made as part of an appearance on prior admission of guilt – sometimes qualified as a French-style guilty plea – had been accepted by Adrien Quatennens. The Lille deputy is sentenced “for violence without incapacity committed by a spouse” between October and December 2021, as well as for “regular and malicious sending of messages” between August and September 2022.
After the judgment was announced, Céline and Adrien Quatennens went their separate ways. Without looking at each other. Now begins for them the long journey of the modalities of their separation. A new judicial marathon, not necessarily less trying, but certainly more discreet.
“A Solemn Warning”
A good fifty journalists were present on Tuesday at the courthouse. Half an hour before the statement of the judge’s decision, Adrien Quatennens’ lawyer had requested a closed session, in order to“ensure the serenity of the debates” and “to avoid the press being involved in a case that has already caused a stir”.
After the judgment, on leaving the courtroom, Mr.e Jade Dousselin indicated that “the prosecutor carried out a very thorough investigation capable of reestablishing certain truths: Adrien Quatennens is not guilty of repeated violence. Nor is he guilty of harassment. The sentence is a solemn warning from the prosecutor. It does not prevent Adrien Quatennens from returning to the National Assembly. » A few hours later, the LFI-New Popular Ecological and Social Union parliamentary group announced in a press release “temporary removal from the parliamentary group for a period of four months” against him.
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