Suspect Swallows Poison After Verdict In French Murder Case

The suspect for the rape and murder of a young woman in northern France almost two decades ago was under guard in hospital Saturday after he swallowed pesticide in an apparent suicide bid following his conviction

Amiens, France, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Dec, 2019 ) :The suspect for the rape and murder of a young woman in northern France almost two decades ago was under guard in hospital Saturday after he swallowed pesticide in an apparent suicide bid following his conviction.

Willy Bardon, on trial over the murder of Elodie Kulik in 2002 in a case that has attracted strong interest in France for years, ingested the substance at the courthouse in the northern city of Amiens late on Friday.

Bardon had been sentenced to 30 years jail for kidnapping and holding a person against their will followed by death. He was however acquitted of murder.

"The condition of Willy Bardon was stabilised by the doctors during the night," Amiens prosecutor Alexandre de Bosschere told AFP.

He said indications given by his family and also an analysis showed that Bardon had swallowed a pesticide in the seconds after the verdict was announced at court in Amiens at the climax of a 13-day trial.

"We do not know how he managed to hide that," said de Bosschere, adding that the defendant would have been searched before entering the court.

Bardon, 45, was placed under police guard at a hospital and an update on his condition was expected later in the day.