Fires at Notre-Dame-des-Champs Church (Paris): The suspect is Valentin I. A 36-year-old Romanian, homeless. A legal battle is underway over his psychiatric profile. The diocese and Paris City Hall estimate the damage at between 2 and 3 million euros (u...
It was video surveillance in the Montparnasse district that led investigators to the suspected double arsonist: Valentin I, 36 years old.
The homeless man of Romanian origin was arrested Saturday near a square where he often frequents. This Tuesday, he was in court, wearing a gray sweater and military pants, speaking sometimes in French and sometimes in his native language. The thirty-year-old had requested time to prepare his defense, so the case was not heard on its merits.
The president, however, spent a long time trying to understand who this shaved-headed man was, his gaze a little lost in his dock. Father of three daughters who remained in Romania. Arrived in France after Covid. Sleeps "here and there." Convicted twice for violence.
Notably, the psychiatrist who examined him at the police station found no particular pathology, nor any alteration or abolition of discernment. According to him, Valentin I. is not insane and can be tried.
This does not seem to convince the various parties, from the lawyer to the prosecutor, who are demanding a new psychiatric assessment to rule. "I have serious doubts about his criminal responsibility," insists his defense attorney.
The damage to the religious building, built in the 19th century, remains to be seen. Between the organ, the statue, the wall, and the paintings, the damage is significant: between 2 and 3 million euros according to initial estimates from the Diocese and Paris City Hall, according to the public prosecutor's office.
INFO LE PARISIEN. Following the two fires that affected religious buildings in the 6th arrondissement this week, police took a man into custody this Saturday.
[…]While it is too early to say for sure at this stage, it could be a man stopped by the police after the second fire. He was going back and forth near the place of worship and is already known to the courts for having committed similar acts in 2021. The investigation is continuing.
The Notre-Dame des Champs church, located at 91 Boulevard du Montparnasse in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, was the target of a criminal fire. (…) The fire broke out late Thursday afternoon.
The fire started at the statue in the Saint-Joseph chapel before spreading to wooden panels and a recently renovated canvas. Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control, and there were no injuries. Technicians from the central laboratory of the Paris police headquarters were mobilized to try to recover DNA.
The day before, shortly before 10 a.m., the same church had suffered another fire, which was apparently accidental . A sound system and the choir organ had been destroyed. The priest had managed to get out of the building as soon as the fire started. There too, there were no injuries and the firefighters contained the fire.
Fdesouche
