Manslaughter following a Leboncoin scam

At the end of July, a young man in his twenties was charged with manslaughter in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. He accidentally killed a man who was trying to steal money from him following a false appointment for a transaction originating from an advert on the Leboncoin classified ad site.

An advertisement for the sale of telephones disguised an extortion attempt

The young man, who was both the victim of a scam and the unwitting killer of one of the swindlers, had responded to an advertisement on the Leboncoin website for the sale of two mobile phones. In order to complete the transaction, he drove to the meeting point, carrying with him the amount requested for the purchase, i.e. €1,400 in cash, which he put in his handbag.

Once there, the situation escalates and turns tragic.

The crooks set a trap for him

Once there, one of the crooks invited the young man to follow him on foot. He then found himself in an ambush: as well as the first man, a second, concealing his face with a hood and scarf, was waiting for him. The young man then tried to escape, running towards his vehicle to leave the scene as quickly as possible. The two thieves eventually caught up with him, opened the car door and hit him several times before stealing his handbag. The two thieves then fled, in possession of the satchel and the €1,400 in cash it contained.

The young man then started his vehicle and set off in search of his assailants, with one goal in mind: to recover his satchel. What happened next was more confusing.

He accidentally kills one of his attackers

According to the young man's testimony, everything happened very quickly, and he ended up hitting the man wearing a hood and scarf, who was trapped between a wall and the bonnet of his vehicle. The fire brigade evacuated the young thief, aged 20, who eventually succumbed to his injuries.

The other thief still at large

The authorities are still looking for the other man, who managed to escape. He is charged with extortion with a weapon and failure to assist a person in danger.