Prisoner tried for attacking three prison guards in Draguignan

The first quarter of 2025 has not been easy for prison guards at Draguignan remand center. Regularly targeted, they have been victims of several attacks committed by inmates . While the most recent was on April 3, it was the one on March 12 that interested the judges of the criminal court this Monday.

Charged in a rape case

Farshi M. – currently in pre-trial detention in criminal proceedings for rape , "a random desire that caused [him] a lot of trouble" – was on trial for injuring three officers after refusing to submit to a search.

He first violently pushed a first guard in the chest area and then punched another guard who had come to provide backup in the face. Once handcuffed, he kicked a third guard in a sensitive area of ​​his anatomy, "leaving him on the ground, gasping for breath," said president Julie Gadiollet.

"I didn't hit anyone," says the 25-year-old Afghan, who arrived illegally in France in 2023. "I was in shock. When I was handcuffed, I had a sort of uncontrolled physical reaction. It was like a joke, not something mean."

"I felt humiliated"

Once he was taken, not without difficulty, to his cell, Farshi continued his pursuit. This time, it was a spit that hit a guard. "There were three or four of them around me. They undressed me. I felt humiliated. I felt like I was being mocked. I shouldn't have reacted that way..."

Farshi is said to have "reacted badly" in a "stressful situation." Initially, however, nothing suggested such an outcome. It was because he rang the bell as he passed through a security gate that the officers decided to conduct a search. "I was wearing shoes with metal parts, that's why it rang," the defendant tries to explain. "I wanted to take them off and the guards' attitude changed."

Administratively sanctioned by a 30-day solitary confinement, Farshi was sentenced to eight months in prison. He must also pay €3,300 to the civil parties.