Anti-youth device ‘illegal weapon’

Shop-owners are suing a homeowner who attached an ‘anti-youth’ sonic box to his home.

They have complained of headaches and hearing difficulties since the ‘Mosquito’, a device which emits a high-pitched sound particularly irritating to young people, was attached to the building – a second home in Pléneuf Saint-André, Côtes d’Armor.

Their lawyer, Jacky Voisin, who works for legal association Val Tonic, told a tribunal in Saint-Brieuc that there were more than ten people ready to give testimony that the device had caused them health problems.

Civil rights groups have criticised the Mosquito (also known as the Beethoven in France) which is designed to disperse young people. The Minister of Health and Youth Roselyne Bachelot has branded them ‘unacceptable’.

Ms Voisin said the device was ‘an illegal weapon’ and added that the affair had created a ‘disastrous image’ for the town. “Come to Pléneuf for a quiet holiday – your security is guaranteed by a repulsive sonic box,” she said.

One employee of a boutique nearby the home, Chloé Giroud, 23, told TV channel France 3 that she had seen a specialist and was suffering from small lesions in the inner ear after prolonged exposure to the sound.

The owner of the house, who lives in Nanterre, Hauts de Seine was not present at the hearing. The box was disconnected after the shop-owners launched their legal action.

His lawyer Jacques Duval said his client had acted in ‘good faith’, installing the device after repeated acts of anti-social behaviour and unanswered complaints.

Mr Duval said the device would not be used again following a decree by the Mayor of Pléneuf Saint-André banning them.

The Mosquito is manufactured by UK company Compound Security Systems, based in Abercynon in South Wales.

Marketing director Simon Morris said: "That someone is saying they are getting lesions in the inner ear is absolute rubbish. It's just not possible.

“The mosquito has been tested by the institute of sound and vibration research, the NHS and other European bodies.

“They have all concluded that the device poses absolutely no health problems whatsoever.

“In any case, it has an automatic cut-off after 20 minutes and has to be manually reactivated as and when needed.

“Everyone has the right to peaceful enjoyment of their homes and business premises.”

A ruling is expected on April 30.

Photo: Compound Security Systems Ltd