Bobigny prosecutors have called for two officers from the La Courneuve BST, a specialised field unit, to stand trial before the criminal court (tribunal correctionnel) for an assault committed in 2021.

The case concerns the arrest of a 33-year-old man in Noisy-le-Grand on 17 September 2021. CCTV footage shows one officer punching the victim several times in the face while he was being held on the ground by his colleague, who is himself suspected of aggravated assault.

The inquiry, entrusted to the IGPN, the police’s internal affairs body, found that the use of force was disproportionate and unnecessary in the circumstances. Prosecutors also added the aggravating circumstance of “violence committed by a person vested with public authority”.

Index published an investigation into this case on 26 September 2021, based on the CCTV footage and the case file.