Jean-Claude Bonnal
| Jean-Claude Bonnal | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jean-Claude Bonnal 4 February 1953 Saïgon, Vietnam |
| Other names | "The Chinese" |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
Jean-Claude Bonnal (born on 4 February 1953), is a French serial killer of Vietnamese origin. Nicknamed "The Chinaman", he has been convicted of seven murders, two attempted murders and several burglaries and armed robberies, between 1973 and 2001.
Biography
Childhood and youth
Jean-Claude Bonnal was born on 4 February 1953 in Saigon. He was one of 12 siblings. In 1956, Bonnal and his family fled the Indochina War, were repatriated to France and settled in Vitry-sur-Seine, in the Paris suburbs. As a child, Bonnal was regularly subjected to racism by his classmates, who treated him as a foreigner and Chinese, even though he was Vietnamese.[1]
In 1969, when Bonnal was 16, two of his brothers, aged 12 and 15 respectively, died in a cellar fire. The incident was a "hard blow" for Bonnal, who became depressed before turning to delinquency.[2]
In May 1971, aged 18, Bonnal was arrested and remanded in custody for his first misdemeanours. He spent a short time in prison, before being released following a suicide attempt. Just after his release, Bonnal did his military service in the navy. He remained in the navy for five months before deserting in 1972.[3]
The "Southern Suburbs Gang"
In 1972, 19-year-old Jean-Claude Bonnal became the "second knife" in Paris's "southern suburbs gang" and began planning various hold-ups, burglaries and robberies in order to collect a large sum of money. The "gang de la banlieue sud" consisted of four members, including Bonnal, who frequented the bars of Vitry-sur-Seine to "put their plans into action". During the formation of the gang, Bonnal was nicknamed "Bobonne" by his accomplices.[1][2][4]
In July 1973, Bonnal and his accomplices in the "southern suburbs gang" robbed an elderly woman's house to pay for a holiday. The gangsters divide up the tasks; some bind and gag the old lady, while the others rob the house. However, the victim's bonds were relatively tight and she died of suffocation. Believing that the old lady was still alive, Bonnal and his accomplices fled and committed another burglary in the process, during which the gang deliberately injured a passer-by. Bonnal and his accomplices were recognised by witnesses to the robbery and arrested. Following their arrest, they were remanded in custody on charges of burglary, robbery and murder; the examining magistrate considered that the act had been committed with premeditation.[2][4][5][6]
In prison, Bonnal and the rest of the "gang from the southern suburbs" defended themselves against their charges, insisting that they were unaware that the elderly woman had died as a result of the robbery. In order to prove their case, the four defendants asserted that they would not have committed a burglary in the immediate aftermath, because of the consequences and the penalty involved - the death penalty (which was still applicable at the time of the events and the investigation). Faced with the relentless insistence of Bonnal and his accomplices, the examining magistrate decided to analyse the facts in minute detail. In the years that followed, he finally recognised the consistency of the gang's claims and referred them to the Assize Court for burglary, robbery and fatal blows.[7]
In March 1979, Bonnal and the rest of the "gang de la banlieue sud" appeared before the Assize Court for burglary and manslaughter during the robbery. Bonnal was 26 at the time. At the end of his trial, Bonnal was found guilty of "assault and battery resulting in death without intent" and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment.[7]
Release, married life and a return to crime
Bonnal was released on 30 June 1981, after serving almost 8 years in prison. Bonnal was 28 when he was released and decided to move to Orly, to a small flat in the Mermoz housing estate.[8][9]
A fortnight later, on 15 July, Bonnal met a 20-year-old girl called Martine, who was fascinated by Jean-Claude's kindness. The two embarked on a romantic relationship and got married. Martine remained very sensitive to Bonnal's plight, as he regularly told her about the death of his two younger brothers, who had been burnt alive in a cellar in Vitry several years earlier. Bonnal and Martine gave birth to a son in 1982. The birth soon became complicated for the couple, especially Bonnal, because of their low income.[10]
In April 1983, Bonnal held up a supermarket and stole a tractor before fleeing. Following the robbery, people present at the scene described an Asian man. The police were able to use a sketch to identify Bonnal, aged 30, who had been free for less than two years. Bonnal was arrested and remanded in custody at Fresnes prison for robbery and armed robbery as a "repeat offender".[7][9]
When Martine learned of Jean-Claude's relapse, he admitted to her that he had "slipped up" and insisted that he had not intended to relapse, saying that he would not commit any more crimes. Empathising with Bonnal, Martine decided to support him in his defence, even going so far as to propose marriage. The couple married on 4 January 1984 at the Fresnes prison.[9]
In June 1985, Bonnal appeared before the Seine-et-Marne Assize Court for the offences of robbery and armed robbery, committed in a state of "legal recidivism". He was 32 years old at the time. During his trial, Bonnal was supported by his wife Martine, who painted a very positive picture of her husband and believed in his redemption. At the end of his trial, Bonnal was sentenced to 7 years' imprisonment.[7]
Release and the "Barclay's Bank" robbery
Bonnal was released from prison in April 1988 after nearly 5 years. He was 35 years old, but was unable to find a job that would enable him to support his household: himself, Martine and his son. Shortly after his release from prison, Bonnal learned that Martine was expecting a second child and realised that he had to put his income aside to avoid being laid off.[11]
On 3 November, Bonnal plunged back into crime when he robbed a Barclay's Bank branch in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The robbery turned out badly for Bonnal, as the police were soon alerted to the attack. During the attack on Barclay's Bank, a shoot-out broke out between Bonnal and the police. There was heavy gunfire and a police officer was seriously injured in the shoot-out. Bonnal was eventually overpowered by the police, along with three accomplices, and was then remanded in custody on charges of robbery and attempted murder. In 1989, while Bonnal was on remand, Martine gave birth to the couple's second daughter, Anaïs Bonnal. When her husband returned to prison, Martine did not abandon him because of his efforts to save the family.[11]
From 9 to 11 September 1991, Bonnal appeared before the Paris Assize Court for the Barclay's Bank robbery preceded by the attempted murder of a police officer. At the end of the three-day trial, Bonnal was found guilty as charged and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment.[12]
Released and implicated in the "Printemps Haussmann" robbery
Bonnal was released on 30 January 1997, after more than 8 years in prison. Following his release, Bonnal took a job at a karaoke restaurant called Taratata, where he became friends with a girl.[10]
At around 2pm on 24 November 1998, two men held up a bureau de change at the entrance to the Printemps Haussmann department stores' and killed the security guard. The loot amounted to 296,000 francs. As they left the building, the robbers removed their balaclavas. Émile Ferrari, a mechanic and former bodyguard who had witnessed the robbery in the shop, followed them and tried to immobilise Mohamed Benamara in the street. One of the robbers shoots him in the head. The two accomplices panicked and threatened the crowd with their weapons as they fled. The stampede left ten people injured. Ferrari survived his wound, but it caused him memory loss. Investigators found two 11.43 calibre shells at the scene. Émile Ferrari was certain that it was Bonnal who shot him, while witnesses said it was Benamara. Later, Ferrari told the examining magistrate that it was Benamara who shot him in the head. An informer reported Bonnal and Benamara to the investigators.[2]
On 16 December, Benamara was arrested at his girlfriend's home in Colombes. The next day, Bonnal was arrested at his home in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges. They denied the facts, said they did not know each other and had alibis, which were not infallible. When Benamara's home was searched, the investigators found no evidence. But when Bonnal's flat was searched, foreign currency was found in an envelope on the fridge and a Colt 45 pistol was discovered in a plastic bag hidden behind a skirting board. Bonnal declared that the pistol was not his and that it had been entrusted to him for safekeeping and concealment. Ballistics tests established that it was this pistol that had fired the two bullets at the scene of the robbery. At the end of their respective police custody, on 18 December, Bonnal and Benamara were charged with armed robbery, preceded by attempted murder, and remanded in Fleury-Mérogis prison.[2][10]
During the trial, Bonnal was taken from prison and brought before Ferrari. When he was lurking behind the one-way mirror, Émile Ferrari formally identified Bonnal, using the description of his face, which earned him the nickname "the Chinese". Bonnal did not appreciate this nickname, as he was of Vietnamese origin. In pre-trial detention, Bonnal and Benamara, who claimed to be completely innocent of the charges against them, repeatedly applied for their release, which was refused. However, the defence of the two defendants cast doubt on their guilt on the basis of the video quality of the surveillance cameras used at the time of the robbery and the fact that Bonnal and Benamara do not know each other, despite their criminal records, which "only" provide evidence of their guilt.[13]
In November 2000, Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard, Benamara's lawyer, made a new request for her client's release, which was finally granted, due to the lack of evidence linking him to the robbery. After almost two years in pre-trial detention, Mohamed Benamara was released on 4 December. On 21 December, the magistrates of the indictment division also decided that Bonnal's pre-trial detention was not justified. It had lasted two years, the average length of time in Paris for a criminal case. Bonnal was released from Fleury-Mérogis prison on 26 December on bail of 80,000 Francs (12,196 Euros).[13][14]
The "Fontenoy" killing
In the early evening of 6 October 2001 in Athis-Mons, Brahim Titi and Hakim Bouhassoune entered the Fontenoy bar-tabac and drank a kir at the counter. Later, when the other customers had left the bar, Bonnal, wearing a balaclava, joined Titi and Bouhassoune and held up the 38-year-old owner, Gildo Alves. While Titi and Bonnal searched the bar and emptied the till, Bouhassoune locked Virginie the waitress, aged 24, Albertina the cleaner, aged 34, the owner Marie-Louisa, aged 34, and Sandra, aged 9, the owners' daughter, in the toilets. He tied their hands behind their backs with electric wire. The adults were taken one by one to the basement, where they were shot in the head. A second bullet was fired at Gildo in his lower abdomen. The robbers spared the little girl and left with a haul of around 7,000 francs.[15]
Sandra managed to get away, discovered the bodies in the basement, went back upstairs, opened a window and called passers-by for help. Neighbours phoned the police. Sandra said that she had only seen two of the robbers, but when they were locked in the toilets, Albertina told her that there were three of them.
The next day, wo of the robbers try to withdraw money from an ATM using Marie-Louisa Alves' bank card. The ATM "swallowed" the card. The ATM surveillance camera did not work. In the basement, the investigators found five .380 calibre shells. Ballistics tests established that the ammunition had been fired from an AMT Backup pistol, the magazine of which contained five bullets; a model that is extremely rare in France. Sandra formally identified Hakim Bouhassoune during the line-up behind the one-way mirror. The bar customers identify Brahim Titi and Hakim Bouhassoune.
The "Plessis-Trévise" killing
In the early hours of 16 October 2001, Bonnal, Brahim Titi, Djamel Bessafi, Zahir Rahmani and Chérif Asslouni tried to break into the bungalow at 16 avenue de la Sirène, Plessis-Trévise. Jean-Marc Pernès, a doctor, his wife, a jeweller, their son Vincent and their daughter were huddled together on the ground floor, bound and gagged. A niece, whose presence the burglars did not know, had hidden in the bathroom and alerted the police on her mobile phone at around 7.30am. Five police officers in two vehicles arrived at the scene discreetly. In one car were Brigadier Patrick Le Roux, 33, Constable Paul Desbiens and Assistant Constable Alexandre Riebel. In the other car: peacekeepers Yves Meunier 27 and Lionel Levecq. Patrick Le Roux quietly entered the property and looked through a window in the door to see that it was not a false alarm. He joined his colleagues at the vehicles, as public order police officers did not have bullet-proof waistcoats at the time. But the officers had been spotted by the burglars, who were panicking and wanted to escape, taking the girl hostage. The police officers heard the mother's desperate cries and decided to intervene immediately. Paul Desbiens stayed back near the cars, while the four other police officers passed on either side of the house, in groups of two. The burglars gave up trying to take a hostage and escaped from the house in disorder.[16]
Patrick Le Roux and Yves Meunier intercept Djamel Bessafi, restrain him and handcuff him. Lionel Levecq and Alexandre Riebel saw a burglar trying to escape by climbing over the wall at the bottom of the garden. They try to grab him to immobilise him. Just then, gunfire rains down on the police officers. Yves Meunier died instantly, shot three times, including once in the back of the neck. Patrick Le Roux was shot in the chest and died in the hours that followed. Lionel Levecq, who was shot in the back, was seriously injured.[16]
Arrests and controversy over the release of Bonnal
Djamel Bessafi, handcuffed, was arrested on 16 October 2001, wounded by one of the bullets fired by his accomplice and hidden under a car in the street. He was charged with murder and armed robbery and remanded in custody.
Investigators found :
- a black left glove in the street. Traces of DNA were found in it, which was recognised as being that of Jean-Claude Bonnal.
- In the bungalow, a rucksack containing a balaclava.
- In the grounds of the property, an empty Beretta pistol magazine.
- 9-millimetre shell casings.
On 19 October, Bonnal was taken into police custody. Following their respective interrogations, the six detainees were each charged with murder and armed robbery, with the possibility of being arrested by the police. Titi, Hakim Bouhassoune, Zahir Rahmani and Cherif Asslouni was arrested in November and was charged with murder and attacks by the army and placed in custody.[17]
These two cases led to controversy between police officers and magistrates, as Bonnal had just been released on parole, pending another trial, as pre-trial detention could not exceed two years.[17]
Judgement in the "Printemps Haussmann" robbery
On 7 February 2003, the trial of Jean-Claude Bonnal and Mohamed Benamara in the Printemps foreign exchange robbery case began at the Paris Assize Court. Benamara, who was "on the run", was absent. Jean-Claude Bonnal was defended by Florence Moreau. Michel Zaoui acted for Émile Ferrari.[18]
On 12 February, Bonnal was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment. Claiming to be innocent, he appealed the sentence. In August, Benamara was captured in Spain and returned to prison for breaching his probation.[19]
On 11 June 2004, Jean-Claude Bonnal's appeal trial began at the Seine-Saint-Denis Assize Court in Bobigny. Bonnal again appeared alone at this trial, as Benamara had not been tried at first instance. Bonnal's defence is based on the fact that he could not have been seen in the shop because the robbers were hooded. And the only witness who said he saw him in the street was Émile Ferrari, whose memory is failing as a result of his injury. On 16 June, Bonnal was acquitted.[20]
Benamara appeared in court from 19 to 22 December 2005 in connection with the Printemps robbery. He was defended by Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard and Éric Dupond-Moretti. At the end of his trial, Benamara was acquitted.
Judgement in the "Fontenoy" and "Plessis-Trévise" killings
On 4 January 2006, the trial in the Athis-Mons and Plessis-Trévise cases began at the Val-de-Marne Assize Court in Créteil. Françoise Berrux and Michèle Launay are the police officers' lawyers. Catherine Schmelk is the lawyer for the Pernès family. Alexandre Varaut is the lawyer for the Alves family. Françoise Cotta is defending Hakim Bouhassoune. Hubert Delarue is defending Brahim Titi. Philippe Bilger is the public prosecutor.[21]
On the morning of 1 February, Bonnal was sentenced to life imprisonment with a 22-year prison term. Brahim Titi was sentenced to life imprisonment. Hakim Bouhassoune was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment, Djamel Bessafi and Zahir Rahmani to 15 years' imprisonment and Cherif Asslouni to 8 years' imprisonment. In February, Bonnal was awarded compensation of €18,000 for the 2 years he spent in pre-trial detention in the Printemps bureaux de change robbery case, in which he had been found innocent. In the end, he withdrew the claim to avoid fuelling controversy.[21]
On 4 June 2007, the appeal trial began at the Paris Assize Court. Brahim Titi was defended by Laurence Cechman. On 4 July, Bonnal was again sentenced to life imprisonment with a 22-year prison term. Cherif Asslouni was again sentenced to life imprisonment. Brahim Titi was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment, while Zahir Rahmani and Djamel Bessafi were each sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment.[22][23][24]
Bonnal and his lawyers appealed to the French Supreme Court, but the appeal was rejected on 12 March 2008.[25]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 à 00h00, Par Brendan Kemmet Le 6 janvier 2006 (2006-01-05). "La vie de Bonnal passée au crible". leparisien.fr (in français). Retrieved 2021-09-21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Un caïd maudit à la dérive". Le Parisien. 21 October 2001.
- ↑ Tourancheau, Patricia. ""J'ai fait vingt-six ans de prison, je n'ai rien à perdre"". Libération (in français). Retrieved 2021-09-12.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Perpétuité requise contre "le Chinois"". L'Obs (in français). 26 January 2006. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
- ↑ "Le "Chinois" ne veut pas"noircir" le tableau". L'Obs (in français). 5 January 2006. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
- ↑ "« Le Chinois », condamné à trois reprises à de longues peines" (in français). 2001-10-23. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Jean-Claude Bonnal, dit "le Chinois", jugé seul pour le braquage du bureau de change du Printemps" (in français). 2003-02-08. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
- ↑ à 00h00, Par Brendan Kemmet Le 6 janvier 2006 (2006-01-05). "La vie de Bonnal passée au crible". leparisien.fr (in français). Retrieved 2021-09-12.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 à 00h00, Par J.-M. D. Le 22 octobre 2001 (2001-10-21). "" C'est un braqueur, pas un assassin "". leparisien.fr (in français). Retrieved 2021-09-12.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 « J'ai fait vingt-six ans de prison, je n'ai rien à perdre », sur Libération, 8 février 2003
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 à 00h00, Par J.-M. D. Le 21 octobre 2001 (2001-10-20). "Un caïd maudit à la dérive". leparisien.fr (in français). Retrieved 2021-09-19.
- ↑ « Jean-Claude Bonnal, dit "le Chinois", face à la justice pour deux séries de meurtres », sur Le Monde, 6 septembre 2005
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "En libérant le suspect, la cour d'appel a choisi de sanctionner la lenteur de l'instruction" (in français). 2001-10-25. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
- ↑ « Fallait-il libérer « le Chinois » ? », sur L'Express, 25 octobre 2001
- ↑ COIGNARD, Jacqueline. "Bonnal libéré : six morts et un tollé policier". Libération (in français). Retrieved 2025-06-29.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Patrick LEROUX et Yves MEUNIER". Policiers français morts en service commandé (in français).
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Jacques Pradel, « Jean-Claude Bonnal, dit "le Chinois" », émission radio L'heure du crime sur RTL, le 28 février 2013
- ↑ « Libre, Benamara n'est pas venu » Article de Patricia Tourancheau publié le 8 février 2003 dans Libération
- ↑ « Le complice du "Chinois" arrêté en Espagne » Article publié le 12 août 2003 dans Le Parisien
- ↑ « Hold-up du Printemps : Bonnal acquitté » Article publié le 17 juin 2004 dans Le Nouvel observateur
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 « "Le Chinois" indemnisé après un acquittement » Article publié le 16 février 2006 sur LCI
- ↑ « Le procès en appel du "Chinois" s'est ouvert à Paris » Article publié le 4 juin 2007 dans Le Nouvel observateur
- ↑ « Justice. Jean-Claude Bonnal retourne aux assises. Le procès en appel de Jean-Claude Bonnal, surnommé "le Chinois", a débuté hier devant la cour d'assises de Paris » Article publié le 5 juin 2007 dans La Croix
- ↑ « Perpétuité confirmée pour le "Chinois" », Fabienne Huger, 5 juillet 2007, Le Parisien
- ↑ Huger, Fabienne (2008-03-13). "La condamnation à perpétuité du Chinois est définitive". leparisien.fr (in français). Retrieved 2021-09-26.
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