The spectator behind one of the biggest pile-ups in Tour de France history appeared in court charged with injuring dozens of riders but seemed set to avoid jail after prosecutors demanded a suspended sentence.
The 31-year-old French woman, whose identity was withheld after she was targeted by a torrent of online abuse, has already told prosecutors of being ashamed at her “stupidity” for causing what some dubbed the “worst crash ever seen”in the famous race.
Wearing a blue sweater, she fled the scrum of journalists waiting at the courthouse in Brest, in western France.
But the presiding judge rejected a request by her lawyer to have the trial held behind closed doors.
While jail time was a real possibility, the prosecution requested that she be given a four-month suspended sentence on the charges of endangering lives and causing unintentional injuries.
Under French law she could have faced a fine of up to 15,000 euros ($AUD23,00) and a year in prison for the charges.
Prosecutor Solenn Briand acknowledged that she had recognised “how dangerous” her conduct had been and had expressed regret.
Brownie Bytes doesn’t agree with this outcome. Turning the perpetrator into the victim is ridiculous. She caused real harm by her foolish actions to get attention. A slap on the wrist and suspended sentence is morally wrong and sends a message to her and foolish fans that anything goes at races.
Brownie Bytes 