In a bizarre twist of love and desperation, a 60-year-old man from Guadeloupe robbed a supermarket at gunpoint not for money, but to get arrested and join his grandson in prison.
The former firefighter, who had no criminal record, entered a Sainte-Rose supermarket last month wearing a balaclava and holding a weapon. After demanding cash, he calmly helped himself to a slice of Emmental cheese and a bottle of wine before strolling back to his car right in front of the police station.
Officers quickly apprehended him.
According to his lawyer, Léa Le Chevillier, the man’s motive was heartbreakingly simple. During a recent prison visit, he found his grandson injured and terrified after being assaulted by fellow inmates. “He was desperate, he just wanted to be inside to protect him,” Le Chevillier told AFP.
Prosecutors charged the pensioner with armed robbery, aggravated assault, and rebellion. But even the judge admitted the case was extraordinary.
Instead of sentencing the grandpa to prison, the court ruled that he acted out of desperation and ordered psychological treatment, compensation to the victims, and a ban from the supermarket he robbed.
He will still be allowed to visit his grandson this time, legally.
