Three years after the fire that destroyed a spinning mill in Southern Tarn in April 2020, a member of the Labruguiérois family went on trial on Tuesday, suspected of being the author. The court acquitted him but sentenced him for a series of arson attacks in La Bruguière, in August 2022.
Three years later, we still do not know who set fire to the Filatures du parc building, in Brassac, on April 7, 2020. On Tuesday, the Castries court acquitted a 35-year-old who weighed down the former employee of the company. Especially since he was sentenced on the same day to 18 months suspended imprisonment, for a series of fires in La Bruguière at the end of August 2022 (garbage cans in a school and in the basements and hall of the HLM building).
The president of Filatures, Fabrice Lodetti, was present at the hearing, close to the conclusion and getting an answer to that question that haunted him: Who committed this violent fire? With dire consequences for the company of 48 employees. Three years later, the mystery still remains.
In full confinement, firefighters fought for five hours to stem the spread of the flames, from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. The gendarmes noticed several outbreaks of gunfire, and concluded that foul play had been committed. The company at the time was in excellent health and had signed several prosperous contracts. The fire stopped the dynamics and it took a year for Filatures du parc to get back on its feet.
Also read => Prasak. The park’s yarn warehouse is on fire
On the day of the tragedy, the alarm was not raised, the investigation with the gendarmerie centered on the staff. After 13 days, the director discovered that the bars of a window located 2.20 meters off the ground had been cut off. Surprise: The employee’s DNA was discovered. He is a father of Portuguese descent, who arrived in France in 2015, known for his alcohol and cannabis addiction problems, but he has not posed a serious problem so far.
Back in Tuesday’s trial, the former miscellaneous employee, who was fired in January 2023 for being unfit to work, denied being the culprit. “I was at home with my 12-year-old son. I live in Labruguière, 30 km from Brasac. There are cameras in crowded cities. I happened to open this window and even spat through it,” he defended himself.
His DNA was found immediately
His attorney, MH Juchs, taking into account the Labruguière fires he admitted, with the exception of the cellars fires. “We have testimony from an employee who, on the 18th of April, indicated that the window was open and that he was sure there were no bars missing. A lot could have happened in 13 days… If no traces of corrosion were found on the 20th of April, that Because the bars were not published 13 days ago. There is no material element, no motive: he still risks losing his job, which he held so dear.”
enough to persuade the three court judges to release him, while the prosecution requested a 30-month suspended prison sentence (for all charges).
