Attorney Camille Miansoni said at a news conference that the detention was being extended “in order to complete the ongoing proceedings of the investigation”. He indicated that this concerned “medical-legal aspects”. Several riders suffered serious injuries in the fall.
“The accused expressed a sense of shame and fear of the consequences of her act,” Miansoni said. “She is alarmed by the media coverage of her self-proclaimed ‘stupidity’. She was placed in pre-trial detention for “involuntarily causing injuries of not more than three months by intentional breach of the duty of safety or caution”. She faces a maximum prison sentence of two years.
The woman, a thirty-year-old Frenchwoman, reported to the Landerneau police station on Wednesday afternoon. She had been identified by police earlier in the day. Before anyone wanted to question her, she offered herself. She exercised her right to see another doctor first. In the evening she was interrogated. A search was also carried out at her residence.
The Finistère police commander, Colonel Nicolas Duvinage, called for calm at the press conference. He referred to messages on social media that bordered on an incitement to violence. “We have to keep a cool head,” he said.
The accused woman carried a cardboard sign on Saturday’s first stage of the Tour, which read “Allez Opi Omi”. Miansoni confirmed on Thursday that it was “a loving message to her grandparents”.
She waved it at the camera, with her back to the course. German Tony Martin (Jumbo-Visma) was the first to hit her and about fifty more riders fell in his wake. She was initially untraceable. A call for witnesses was immediately launched on Saturday evening.
Tour organizer ASO filed a complaint against the woman after the facts, but withdrew it again on Thursday. “This story was blown out of proportion,” Tour boss Christian Prudhomme told several media. “But we want to remind everyone of the safety regulations in a match.” Riders’ union CPA also filed a complaint against the woman.
