Crime and security

Suspended jail term and fine for French MP in €114,000 expenses fraud

Socialist Jean-Christophe Cambadélis has been found guilty in a criminal court in Paris

Wife raped by 50 men on husband’s invitation opts for open trial in France

‘I have nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of’, she told the courtroom, waiving her right to anonymity

French authorities launch major crackdown on illegal streaming

The watchdog has already blocked almost 200 sites since the start of the Ligue 1 football championship

news

Cyclist death: How did no-licence French driver hire a Lamborghini?

The 52-year-old cyclist was killed instantly when the supercar hit him at over 70 km/h

Man accused of drugging wife and letting more than 50 men rape her in France

He allegedly advertised her as ‘available to rape’ on a website. She is reported to have only found out many years later when photographs were discovered by police

Man shoots at hot air balloon flying near his French house

The shooter, who was arrested, was reportedly exasperated at seeing the balloon flying over - but the company denies excessive flights

Online tool to report burglaries to police will expand across France

The system can be used to report other incidents too, including vandalism

Gendarme's widow: ‘France’s lax approach killed my husband’

The driver who ran over the gendarmerie officer was previously known to police for traffic offences and refusing police orders

Gendarme killed by driver who refused to stop on motorway near Cannes

The deceased was a 54-year-old married father of two

Man who flooded Europe with millions of false banknotes arrested

French police coordinated the operation along with Europol and Italian anti-counterfeiters

Appeal for help after key to ancient chest missing from Dordogne chateau

Key will cost thousands of euros to replace

Warning over sophisticated holiday rental scam across France

Holidaymakers are warned to be alert to a fraudulent site when booking holiday rentals

Man shot by police after trying to start fire at Angoulême mairie

Witnesses say the 46-year-old poured petrol into one of the offices and onto two female workers

Too many drivers in France do not have insurance

‘Driving without insurance is the worst kind of gamble,’ a victims guarantee fund says, after payouts increased by 28% in 2023

Arrested Eiffel Tower climber has very British response to 32C heat

The man was stopped as he scaled the iconic monument without a shirt, ropes, gloves, or a harness

Breakthrough in long-running disappearance case of teenager in France

The DNA of a 15-year-old girl, who went missing ten months ago, has been found in a stolen car

11 Hermès bags stolen from relative of Qatar Emir on French TGV

Bags are thought to have been taken off the Nice to Paris train at Toulon

Eight scams doing the rounds this summer in France

Summer travel means one thing: More scammers, especially on the roads and at transport hubs. Here are tips to avoid falling victim

French postman took 13,000 letters home after failing to deliver

‘The accused admitted to storing mail that he had not delivered’, the prosecutor has said

Foreign driver’s family expelled from France over farmer’s death

The husband remains in France awaiting trial, but his wife and three children have been deported

Seven die, including children, in fire at flats in Nice - arson suspected

People wearing balaclavas were spotted near the building at the time of blaze. Victims are reported to be from the same family

Bayonne festival: man, 58, dies after being punched

It follows a row, which broke out on a bus, between two attendees

3 shot dead by neighbour at village birthday party in central France

Man with no prior criminal record opened fire before reportedly turning gun on himself

New French MP is first to be ‘fiché-S’: what does this mean?

The status is often associated with terrorism, and the MP’s critics have said he ‘has no place’ in the Assemblée - but the real picture is more nuanced

Alert over rise in dangerous synthetic opioids in France

The drugs, which are 500 times stronger than heroin, have already caused two deaths in France and dozens across Europe

Mystery surrounds British tourist found with chest wounds in Marseille

The 20-year-old was reportedly discovered by joggers on Tuesday

Watch out for cybercrooks who pretend to be French anti-fraud officers

Criminals are trying to scam the very agency responsible for catching scammers

Higher fines for drivers who dump rubbish in wild in France

Fines can vary from €150 to €1,500 depending on the waste and location

Woman and daughters tricked French heiress out of fortune, court hears

She inherited €11m but is now working as a waitress

France grapples with summer boom in burglaries

People are advised to join police home-monitoring scheme when going on holiday

Why police custody rules must change in France

Critics say the changes will ‘damage investigations’ but proponents say it will make ‘statements taken from people in custody more solid’

British driver given €1m fine for transporting drugs through France

‘I was asked to take it by two guys who told me it was CBD,’ he told police

New way to check if a website or email is fraudulent in France

The free portal checks your link against its database of scam addresses

Paris Olympics ticket scams: 338 websites identified for resale fraud

Plus, how to avoid Olympics and Paralympics scam tickets

Warning to drivers as parking meter scam back doing rounds in France

How to avoid falling victim to the fraud, which involves stealing your credit card

Briton with £163,000 cash in van has French jail sentence overturned

The 76-year old was stopped by customs officials trying to board a ferry to the UK. The money is said to be the gains of drug trafficking

Alert over Wangiri telephone scams in France: What is this?

How to avoid this increasingly common ‘unknown number’ scam

‘How I was duped by French conman who claimed he was British MI6 spy’

The crook, who has lied, scammed, and deceived people for decades, also said he was a Scottish lord

New DNA tests ordered in quadruple British murder case in Alps

Answers remain elusive nearly 12 years after the shocking murders took place in Eastern France

‘Incel’ man arrested on suspicion of planning mass murder in Bordeaux

Contrary to other reports, there is no evidence he planned to act during the Olympic torch relay, said local prosecutor

British driver who killed French teenager tested positive for cannabis

The 36-year-old could face up to three years in prison

Warning for drivers in France as car number plate fraud on rise

We look at what to do if you become a victim

Police ID checks in France and foreign documents explained

Many visitors from the UK and US are unfamiliar with the concept of identity checks

Computer scam catches 1,700 victims in France - how to avoid it

The scam starts with an email, and ends with a fraudulent subscription

American on Interpol’s wanted list found during routine check in France

He is accused of sexually assaulting a student at a Pennsylvania college in 2013

EXPLAINED: Why France has declared state of emergency in New Caledonia

Three people have been killed in riots since the start of the week

Hunt for escaped French prisoner: Interpol issues ‘red notice’ alert

‘Unprecedented international cooperation and judicial police resources’ have been mobilised, the interior minister says

TGV fatal derailment in France: year suspended jail term for driver

‘This accident was the result of failure across the board,’ the prosecutor summarised in court

Two killed as prison van ambushed on French motorway, inmate on run

200 gendarmes have been mobilised to search for the prisoner who is reported to be the head of drug smuggling network and accused of attempted murder

Trend for entering empty properties in France and taking photos

It is not illegal so long as the owner does not voice opposition and the person entering does not break anything to get in

Drunk Briton on wrong side of French road seriously injures student

‘French law cannot withdraw a foreign driving licence,’ said the examining magistrate

Stay alert: French tax officials show examples of tax fraud emails

Familiarising yourself with scam emails is one way of avoiding falling victim

Drivers at risk as trend for road sign thefts grows in France

This ‘extremely stupid act could have serious and irreversible consequences’ says one mayor

Double number of murders in France than UK: where and why?

We also look at how the statistics compare with data from America

Drunk Briton arrested over ‘shameful display’ in French museum

The 70-year old is accused of causing scandal with indecent exposure, racist insults and a very public bowel movement

French teenager suspected of plotting terrorist act at Paris Olympics

The 16-year-old had ‘pledged allegiance’ to Islamic State and has admitted his plans

MAP: where and why are there curfews in France? Who is affected?

A fifth commune in the south has banned young people from wandering the streets at night

How safe are purchases on French classified websites?

Leboncoin is France’s second most-visited website - but is also a hunting ground for scammers

Cable theft leaves French village cut off from internet and phone

Thieves target the valuable copper inside the wire. Such thefts are on the rise

Man ‘plotted to kill’ osteopath who left him disabled in France

The man, who suffered irreversible damage to his spinal cord, is accused of hiring hitmen to engineer a ‘revenge’ killing

‘Smishing’: Warning over this common scamming trick in France

It comes as 15-year-old is arrested near Bordeaux on suspicion of using this way of scamming to spend €12,000 of victims’ money on online shopping goods

Scammers fleece drivers who break down on French roads out of €3,000

These ‘breakdown pirates’ are becoming more common. Here is how to avoid falling victim

Briton found with £163,000 cash in van to appeal French jail sentence

The 76-year-old was preparing to take a ferry to the UK and claims he was unaware of the contents of the packages that sniffer dogs discovered

Death of Emile, 2: what is known about new bone found in Alps hamlet?

Additional searches have been carried out after Emile’s clothes and skull were found

Man suspected of killing family reported to be at French convent

Sightings of the suspect come in regularly with the latest being taken seriously and police running DNA tests

Emile, 2: skull shows animal bite marks, says French prosecutor

New questions have been raised on the bone analysis, discovery of the boy’s clothes and why the remains were only found now if the area had already been searched