In July 2024, two goats were found with their throats slit in the Jardin Robinson in Châtelaine-Balexert, on the outskirts of Geneva. A strange occurrence in a neighbourhood community garden, which at the time seemed to be an isolated incident. A suspect was arrested months later: a 47-year-old Frenchman. By this point, it was already a strange story.
It has now emerged that the same man is believed to be involved in an assault on a neighbour that took place in February this year. He is currently in pre-trial detention. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has also requested that he undergo a psychiatric assessment.
What the *Tribune de Genève* has published about his criminal record is what stands out most. In France, he has eleven convictions dating from 1999 to 2021, including acts of violence. In Switzerland, he was already on record for damage to property. The Office of the Attorney General is also prosecuting him in a case of arson. He is not exactly the sort of person about whom nothing was known.
The exchange of criminal records between Switzerland and France exists in theory. The question that remains unanswered is how someone with such a record could accumulate criminal records in two countries over a period of years without more serious consequences being triggered before reaching this point. The investigation remains open.