Patrick Henry (31 March 1953 – 3 December 2017) was a French criminal and

cause célèbre A ( , ; pl. ''causes célèbres'', pronounced like the singular) is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning, and heated public debate. The term is sometimes used positively for celebrated legal cases for th ...

and the subject of public and judicial controversy. He was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of the eight-year-old Philippe Bertrand in January 1976.

Trial and sentencing

Henry's trial began on 18 January 1977, and he was defended by Robert Bocquillon and

Robert Badinter Robert Badinter (; 30 March 1928 – 9 February 2024) was a French lawyer, politician, and author who enacted the abolition of capital punishment in France in 1981, while serving as Minister of Justice under François Mitterrand. He also serve ...

. A contentious issue in the trial was the validity of

capital punishment in France Capital punishment in France ( is banned by Article 66-1 of the Constitution of the French Republic, voted as a constitutional amendment by the Congress of the French Parliament on 19 February 2007 and simply stating "No one can be sentenced to ...

; Badinter, a fervent supporter of its abolition, ultimately convinced the jury not to execute his client. The case is said to have had an influence in leading to the abolition of capital punishment in France in 1981. Henry was instead sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

and was

parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...

d in 2001; however, he returned to prison two years later after being caught trying to smuggle drugs into France. He was subsequently denied parole multiple times before finally succeeding and being released from prison on medical grounds on 15 September 2017.

Death

Henry died of lung cancer in

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

, aged 64, on 3 December 2017, less than three months after his release from prison.L'ex-détenu Patrick Henry est mort
accessed 3 December 2017.

References

1953 births 2017 deaths 20th-century French criminals French murderers of children French people convicted of murder French prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Deaths from lung cancer in France People from Troyes {{Europe-law-stub People convicted of murder by France People paroled from life sentence Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by France