Sarkozy under pressure as French judges take to the streets

[Joanne98]

Source: The Guardian

Thousands of judges and lawyers have taken to the streets in unprecedented protests against Nicolas Sarkozy, paralysing the legal system and shutting down almost all France's courthouses this week.

Magistrates' unions have for days expressed outrage at the president by hearing only urgent cases, after the president used a shocking murder case to attack judges for being too lax.

The gruesome Laetitia case gripped France after a teenage waitress disappeared one night after her shift in western France. Her severed limbs and head were found in the waters of an abandoned quarry after a lengthy search, but the rest of her remains have not been recovered. The suspect, a 31-year-old, refused to co-operate with the search or the inquiry. Recently out of prison after completing a sentence, he had 15 previous convictions.

The case struck a chord with Sarkozy's longrunning campaign to appeal to the rightwing vote by cracking down on repeat offenders. Sarkozy publicly branded the suspect "presumed guilty", slammed judges for incompetence and making mistakes after his prison release, and said: "Our duty is to protect society from these monsters."



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/10/sarkozy-french-judges-protest

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Pictures of striking judges at link

[defendandprotect]

1. K/R

[iandhr]

2. I am sorry Sarko has a ponit here

A person who commits a heinous act like that should get a life sentence.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. How well do you know the details of this case?

From the details in this report, if it had happened in Britain, then Sarkozy could have ruined the chance of convicting the suspect; and he would be guilty of contempt of court for so publicly declaring a suspect guilty, and prejudicing any trial.

You seem to know the suspect committed the crime, however, so you've move on to the sentencing. What are the details?