Strange but true. The incident happened around 3:45 p.m., while the Basse-Terre court hearing lasted just over two hours. Most surprising is that Jean-Pierre Mercury, 47, was released from the Basse-Terre investigation center where he is being held on other grounds.
This afternoon he was charged with the immediate indictment of theft with violence, extortion to harm a vulnerable person, violence with the use of a weapon, contempt and threats of death against persons of high authority. 5 of his victims were civil parties.
He did not threaten anyone with his gun, but had time to warn everyone that he was armed and it was only natural that he would subtly point the pickaxe at him and show it to the courtroom, where a good thirty people were seated. Judges, police officers, defendants, lawyers and the public.
Police officers from the Basse-Terre police station, who were present in large numbers at the hearing as several detainees appeared there, immediately intervened and handcuffed him. His attorney had just pleaded, and the jury was about to deliberate.
The Basse-Terre prosecutor representing the prosecution, Xavier Sicot, had just requested 3 years imprisonment including 1 year suspended against the person. Unsurprisingly, the court went further and imposed 4 years in prison, accompanied by a 5-year ban on gun ownership.
Undoubtedly, this incident, which could have had more serious consequences, represents a crucial security problem at the Maison d’Arrêt de Basse-Terre. How can a detained accused leave the prison and pass through the Security SAS, arrive at the courthouse and in the middle of a hearing carry a weapon draw?