An infamous French gangster who escaped from prison in a helicopter in 2018 has been sentenced to 14 years of solitary confinement for the crime.
Rédoine Faïd, 51, an armed robber who had been incarcerated in the Réau prison in Seine-et-Marne, went on the run after escaping in a helicopter that landed in the prison courtyard. Mr Faïd’s brother, Rachid, 65, who took the helicopter pilot hostage and forced him to land, was sentenced to 10 years.
The brothers were sentenced by the Cour d'Assises (Court of Appeal) in Paris overnight on Wednesday, October 25, after a trial that lasted for seven weeks.
Le procès de Rédoine Faïd, jugé au côté de 11 autres personnes pour son évasion spectaculaire en hélicoptère de la prison de Réau, en Seine-et-Marne, en juillet 2018, s'est ouvert devant la cour d'assises de Paris #AFP 1/2 pic.twitter.com/85gccjKR6n
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) September 5, 2023
Their sentences are far shorter than those demanded by the prosecution, which had called for 22 years of closed prison for Rédoine, and 18 for Rachid.
But Rédoine’s lawyer, Marie Violleau, said she may still appeal the decision.
She said: “We can't be satisfied just because the sentence was reduced by eight years. When you know that what awaits him is solitary confinement; 14 years, on top of what he still has to do, is no mean feat.”
The gangster was serving sentences for robbery in 2011, and for a previous prison break in 2013. He had been due for release in 2046, but his time is now set to be extended to 2060.
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Family sentencing
Another brother, Brahim, 63, who had been visiting Rédoine at the time of his escape, claimed to have no knowledge of the helicopter plan. The public prosecutors believed him, and called for his acquittal; but the court did not, and sentenced him to a one-year suspended sentence.
Three of Rédoine’s nephews, who were accused of helping their uncle during the escape and in the three months of hiding that followed, were sentenced to two, six and eight years in prison.
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The only person to be acquitted was Alima A., the landlady and friend of one of the nephews, into whose house Rédoine forced entry after his escape. She was considered not to be criminally responsible and was released.
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How did the robber escape?
The 2018 escape happened when at least three men wearing balaclavas forced a helicopter pilot at gunpoint to land in the prison’s main courtyard at around 11:20. The pilot had been falsely told that he would be conducting a first flying lesson.
One man remained in the helicopter with a gun pointed at the pilot’s head, while the two others descended and threw smoke bombs. One ‘stood guard’, holding a gun, while the other used an angle grinder to break into the prison corridor where Rédoine was being held.
Witnesses reported that he then walked quite calmly to the helicopter, which then took off again. No shots were fired and the entire process took less than 10 minutes.
Videos taken by fellow prisoners circulated on social media, and a furore around the security of prisons erupted. The Réau prison, and others, have since installed security lines above their courtyards and other open spaces in a bid to avoid a similar incident in future.
Rédoine managed to stay on the run for three months. However, he was caught after a tip-off about a ‘masculine-looking’ figure spotted under a burqa (a full-body covering with a mesh over the eyes) in Creil (Oise), where he grew up.
He was arrested at 04:00 at a house belonging to Alima A.
Previous sentences
Rédoine has been involved in serious crime for decades. In 2010, he was sentenced to 25 years for his part in a failed armed robbery in Villiers-sur-Marne, in which 26-year-old municipal police officer, Aurélie Fouquet, was killed.
In 2020, he was sentenced to another 28 years for the 2011 bombing of a banking van in Pas-de-Calais.
In 2002, he was given 15 years for the 1997 armed robbery of a van in Seine-Saint-Denis, during which 2.7 million francs were stolen. In 2003, he was sentenced to 12 years for his role in taking hostages at their homes.
He was released on parole in 2009, and this was the only time he has ever legally left prison.
In 2013, he escaped from Sequedin prison - using four prison officers as human shields - before being recaptured six weeks later.
He is known for not taking particular care when on the run, and was once spotted using an internet café close to where he grew up despite technically being ‘in hiding’. He is said to be inspired by prison films, with his favourite being the 1995 crime thriller Heat, directed by Michael Mann.
"Rédoine Faïd lives his life a bit like in the movies,” said Jean-François Maugard, former BRB commander, to TV channel France 2. “What interests him is the adrenaline. That's why his escapes are so sophisticated, and his ‘on the run’ periods are so phenomenally unprepared.”
He has written a book about his ‘life as a gangster’ and appeared on television giving interviews to publicise it.
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