France: French-Algerian man with 37 convictions threatens Hélène with a knife in a park and then punches officers

A Frenchwoman was walking her dog in Mandavit Park in Gradignan when she was threatened by a French-Algerian man, 45-year-old Riad Aoughis, with a knife. He then attacked police officers during his arrest.

The suspect has a long criminal history with 37 convictions, including sexual assault and violence.

On Sunday, June 29, Hélène, the victim, was confronted by Aoughis, who was sitting under a tree and began yelling insults at her as she passed. She told him to calm down, at which point, he pulled out a knife and threatened her.

“He was shouting that if I stayed in the area, he would smoke me and cut up my dog,” she said.

Her dog moved between her and the suspect, and Aoughis then backed away just as her friends arrived.

Police were called and then arrived on scene. They found the knife and a fake police ID on him, according to French outlet Sud Ouest.

The perpetrator, 45-year-old Riad Aoughis, was arrested and faced trial on Tuesday, July 1. He suffers from untreated schizophrenia, and his distraught mother made a public plea for help in court.

Aoughis’s police custody was problematic, with him striking officers and resisting arrest. His trial for “assault with a weapon,” “assault against a police officer,” “contempt of court,” and “fraudulent possession of a false administrative document” was also extremely difficult.

He was ejected from the courtroom within minutes, having shouted and acted aggressively from the dock, his face marked by a black eye.

During the trial, the mother of Aoughis also testified, asking the court for help with her son.

“His situation is very complicated. His condition has deteriorated further. He is receiving heavy medication for his schizophrenia, but often forgets it. He has already been hospitalized. My only hope is that he will be taken care of at Charles-Perrens Hospital. I have asked for it several times, but I can’t get it. I’m living in hell,” she explained.

The presiding judge interrupted, stating, “That’s not the court’s jurisdiction. It’s up to you to take the necessary steps.”

The magistrate then detailed Aoughis’s extensive criminal record, which included 37 convictions. “When he’s out in the wild, he poses a real danger,” the judge concluded.

Guillaume Sapata, the lawyer for the police officers acting as civil parties, acknowledged Aoughis’s difficulties, as did prosecutor David Arnault, who added, “But he is not following his treatment.”

Cécile Martin, Aoughis’s lawyer, argued for an impairment of discernment, recounting her client’s traumatic childhood marked by paternal violence and the onset of his mental illness, followed by his initial convictions.

She explained that Aoughis, from a well-integrated Algerian-origin family with French nationality, recently had his residence permit revoked due to his criminal record. “Today, he alternates between prison and the administrative detention center,” Martin stated.

Despite claiming the family was “well-integrated,” she also stated the man suffered from paternal violence.

“However, the prefecture knows very well that he cannot be deported; his entire family is French, and he is ill. His mother is struggling. Three days before the incident, she wrote to Charles-Perrens and sounded the alarm,” she said

The court ultimately sentenced Riad Aoughis to two years in prison with continued detention. However, it also requested his transfer to the specially equipped hospital unit (UHSA) in Cadillac, a facility designed to provide psychiatric care for inmates.

The post France: French-Algerian man with 37 convictions threatens Hélène with a knife in a park and then punches officers appeared first on Remix News.

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