A 21-year-old man was sentenced on Tuesday by the Paris Assize Court to 13 years’ imprisonment for rape and homophobic violence as well as for repeat fraud. “It’s a severe verdict, but deserved, given the seriousness of the facts and their homophobic nature,” said AFP Me Louise Dumont Saint Priest, lawyer for the victim. Anton Rondaut, 21, was accused of raping and assaulting C., another man, in August 2019, because of his sexual orientation. In Paris, as he left a bar around 4 a.m. in the Saint-Michel district, C. was accosted by Rondaut and another man, “Mehdi”, who has not been found. The two men would then have offered to go for a drink.
C. had been dragged into a building’s bicycle garage before being assaulted, called a “dirty fag” and kicked several times in the face and stomach. He was then raped by Rondaut, “Mehdi” having fled. Rondaut left the victim unconscious after stealing various items from him, including a watch and a wallet containing a bank card with which he then made purchases. The violence suffered resulted in the victim being totally incapacitated for work for more than eight days. During the investigation, the victim had specified that he had been questioned by his attackers about his sexual orientation and had declared to be homosexual.
“I don’t like gay people”
Rondaut had also indicated during his interrogations that he often happened to “pass” in the Parisian district of the Marais, to “get confused with homosexuals and to (them) put a small correction”. “I don’t like gays,” he admitted during the investigation, when he did not recognize the rape, but said he regretted the theft and the violence. The investigation had pointed to “changing, vague and inconsistent” statements on his part. On the contrary, the statements of the victim had been “constant” and corroborated by the expert opinions and medical findings.
A minor, Rondaut had already been sentenced in particular in 2019 by the Créteil children’s court to 10 months’ imprisonment for a robbery with violence. During the personality investigation, Rondaut had mentioned domestic violence committed by his father, leading to his placement at 12 years old. Rape, if aggravated by the sexual orientation of the victim, is punishable by 20 years in prison.