A 23-year-old soldier indicted for the attack on writer Jean-Christophe Rufin

A 23-year-old soldier was indicted and placed in pre-trial detention for violence and theft in a meeting against a vulnerable person, suspected of having attacked the writer Jean-Christophe Rufin, the Bourges public prosecutor said on Sunday.

The attack took place in Bourges on October 15 around 11 p.m. in front of the home of the academician, aged 74, according to a press release from Céline Visiedo. That evening, three individuals showed up at the home of a neighbor of Mr. Rufin, “in a state of intoxication and honking in a very repetitive and untimely manner,” parked nearby and “played very loud music while singing and consuming alcoholic beverages.”

Skip the ad

In a context of recurring noise pollution for several months, the writer comes out of his house to ask people to stop this noise and photographs the vehicle's license plate. The driver, “verbally aggressive”, ordered him not to film his car, according to the prosecution. As he tries to reach his home, he is “caught by the owner of the vehicle” who, according to the victim, shoves him in the back, “causing him to fall”. “While he was on the ground, he was kicked several times to the head and body. He indicated that he had been hit with a glass bottle,” said the prosecution.

According to the victim's statements to the court, one of the two passengers also hit him. The suspects then stole his phone before fleeing, we read in the press release. The owner of the car was arrested and taken into custody the next day. Unknown to the police and the courts, “he is a soldier employed at the Avord air base as a truck driver”, according to the prosecution.

Jean-Christophe Rufin obtained temporary total incapacity for work for 12 days “in view of the risk of complications”, affirms the prosecution. The search for “co-authors” continues, according to the same source.