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Paris: Russian businessman and female driver attacked after chasing thieves into estate

A Russian businessman attending the Paris Air Show and his female driver were attacked in a Paris suburb after chasing thieves into a housing estate, according to reports.

Published: 22 June 2017 10:36 CEST
Paris: Russian businessman and female driver attacked after chasing thieves into estate
Photo: AFP
The female driver of the car he was in was also assaulted when she tried to give chase.
   
The Russian businessman, described as the head of the country's delegation to the air show, was in a Mercedes driving through the tough Paris suburb of Saint-Denis to when he was robbed by thieves on a scooter.
 
He was struck and the driver had her bag snatched, according to a statement made to police. The thieves then sped off but the female driver, who is also a bodyguard, gave chase.
 
According to Le Point, the chase ended in a housing estate in Saint-Denis, where the victims were then set upon by dozens of people, who attacked and sexually assaulted her before police intervened.
   
Police have arrested four people and an investigation is underway.
 
It's not the first time foreigners have been targeted on the way to Le Bourget airport in northern Paris.
 
In November last year The Local reported that two sisters were fleeced of €5 million worth of jewellery during a highway robbery on the A1 motorway.
 
The women were travelling in a Bentley vehicle from the Le Bourget airport and had stopped at a service station on the way into the capital. 
 
They were then tear gassed and robbed of €5 million worth of jewellery, luggage, and clothing. 
 
READ ALSO:
 

 

Kardashian robbery another blow for the image of Paris
 
 
 
 
 

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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