Man, 51, found guilty of attempting to kidnap Irish woman in France
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A 51-year-old man has been found guilty of attempting to kidnap a 19-year-old Irish girl in a French village last month.
José Siscar was sentenced to three years in prison on Saturday, with the latter 18 months suspended for three years with a requirement to undergo psychological, addiction and alcohol treatment.
He had been detained since April 4 – two days after the violent attack in the village of Beauvais in northern France, which occurred after he had gone for a drive after consuming alcohol and cannabis, Irish Mirror reports.
The victim, who was not identified, had been on her way to Albania but was forced to stay in a hotel in Beauvais after her flight was cancelled. She had gone to a supermarket around 8:30pm when she was approached by Siscar.
She was attacked with 'extreme violence' as he tried to force her into his Peugeot 807 but managed to repel the attack with 'strong resistance' thanks to her experience in taekwondo.
The court was told that the Irish student was 19 but was 'juvenile-looking'. She had been 'spotted, followed and approached' by Siscar after he 'deliberately intoxicated himself with psychotropic drugs, alcohol and cannabis'.
The prosecution claimed that he had hidden behind 'opportune amnesia' during the first two hearings in the case, but recalled on the third day that he had 'wanted a little company'.
She cancelled her planned trip to a number of European countries following the incident and got the first flight back to Dublin. The court heard that she no longer leaves her house unaccompanied and has been too scared to return to university.
'She was going to explore Europe alone, now she doesn't even feel safe alone in the shower. Her future as a brilliant student has been destroyed,' said the prosecuting lawyer.
She said the victim lives in fear that 'he will find her and finish what he started'.
The assault was captured on CCTV and police were able to identify the licence plate of the car being driven by Siscar, which belonged to his ex-wife. Around an hour before the incident, he had brought food to his daughter, who noticed nothing strange about his behaviour.
Sentencing Siscar to three years in prison with 18 months suspended, the trial judge also prohibited him possessing a weapon for three years, and required him to pay €8,000 in moral damages and €3,000 for his legal costs.
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