Margaux Pinot, Olympic judo champion, accuses Alain Schmitt, her trainer and companion, of domestic violence. Justice pronounced a release Tuesday, which triggered an unprecedented mobilization in the world of judo.
It is a melting pot where sport, domestic violence, media stars and social networks come together. Since Tuesday evening, the world of sport in general and judo in particular has been shaken by the Margaux Pinot affair, named after this judo champion who accuses her trainer (and companion), Alain Schmitt, of having violently hit him on the last weekend at his home in the Paris suburbs.
Judged in immediate appearance after three days of preventive detention, Alain Schmitt was released Tuesday evening. Contesting this court decision, Margaux Pinot posted the photo of her swollen face on Twitter on Wednesday – retweeted more than 41,000 times in less than twenty-four hours – triggering an unprecedented wave of support among the judokas, Teddy Riner in the lead. “We are all deeply touched by what our teammate Margaux Pinot has just suffered and we give her our full support. What must be done to ensure that victims are heard? That the aggressors be found guilty ”, the three-time Olympic champion said, commenting on the release. A decision which the Bobigny prosecutor’s office announced to appeal on Wednesday.
“What does it take for the sanctions to fall, death?” added Clarisse Agbegnenou, Pinot teammate and Olympic champion under 63 kilos in Tokyo. “We were stunned, we took a knockout by the decision ”, said Stéphane Nomis, the president of the French Judo Federation.
Coming out of his silence, Alain Schmitt denounced, Thursday in the team, the “Slander” who would circulate about him since the assault, located on the night of Saturday 27 to Sunday 28 November, before his departure for Israel where he was to become the coach of the women’s judo team. “There is a social media lawsuit following the legal process. I lived very badly this time spent in the cell, these three nights without being able to sleep, he recounts. I thought that once justice was done, I would be left alone. But it doesn’t stop […] It’s unbearable. Social media is not justice. Justice is an institution and that must be respected. ”
“I came close to death”
On Saturday evening, the 38-year-old man was arrested in Blanc-Mesnil (Seine-Saint-Denis) after Margaux Pinot accused him of pulling his hair, beating him and trying to strangle him during an altercation in his apartment. Broken nose, bruise… She was prescribed 10 days of ITT. “I was both stunned and aware of what was going on. I came close to death ”, told the sportswoman to Parisian.
According to France TV Sport, the row was reportedly sparked by the coach’s planned departure to Israel, where he was expected to take the reins of the women’s national team – the Israel Judo Federation said it had suspended all contact with him after the court ruling. “Over there in Israel, there will be an athlete weighing less than 70 kg who will beat you and I will make it a point of honor”, would have launched Alain Schmitt. Tuesday’s hearing was marked by the opposition of two contradictory versions: Alain Schmitt gave the story of a fight that looked like “tornado” between two lovers with a tempestuous relationship. Margaux Pinot for her part described her “fear” facing the punches raining down on her.
From our service Checknews, Me Malik Behloul, Alain Schmitt’s lawyer, justified the contested decision to release: “Faced with contradictory statements, doubt should benefit the accused. This is what I put forward in my plea. “ Not in the opinion of Me Stéphane Maugendre, hitherto responsible for the defense of Margaux Pinot – the sportswoman changed Wednesday evening. Citing the medical certificates, the broken nose established by MRI, the presence of blood and hair found in the apartment, he assures us: “Aith the objective elements which appear in this file, we should not have resulted in an acquittal. “
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