A Romanian man in his forties was sentenced to twelve years of imprisonment after a violent burglary in the French city of Peyrolles-en-Provence left a 65-year-old woman with severe injuries. The Aix-en-Provence criminal court handed down the heavy sentence in an immediate appearance hearing, citing the gravity of the facts and the defendant’s criminal history.
On Aug. 16, 2026, around 3:20 p.m. elderly couple Dominique and Chantal B. were at their home when they discovered an intruder inside. Chantal B., aged 65, surprised the Romanian and immediately alerted French police.
According to Joël Scherer, deputy commander of the Bouches-du-Rhône gendarmerie, the incident escalated quickly.
“A 65-year-old woman surprised the suspect in her home. She immediately calls the gendarmes. The individual then flees. The lady tries to record his license plate. Seeing this, the accused did not hesitate to run her over,” he said.
The woman had positioned herself to record the vehicle’s registration as the man attempted to drive away. While her husband reached for the Romanian suspect’s keys in the ignition, the perpetrator deliberately drove into the woman, running her over.
Chantal B. suffered multiple fractures, including to the pelvis and vertebrae, and was airlifted by helicopter to Hôpital Nord in Marseille, according to local newspaper La Provence.
Instead of fleeing immediately, the Romanian stopped his vehicle a short distance away, returned to the scene, and snatched a gold necklace from the husband’s neck while the husband was administering first aid.
After the suspect fled, police quickly obtained his license plate information and pursued him during a high-speed car chase. The man rammed a roadblock set up by officers, collided with a police service vehicle, and he was then immobilized and arrested in the Saint-Paul-lès-Durance area.
The defendant, already known to authorities for prior offenses involving violent thefts and burglaries, appeared before the Aix-en-Provence tribunal in an expedited procedure. Prosecutors emphasized the deliberate nature of the violence against a vulnerable elderly homeowner and the additional theft committed while the victim lay injured.
The case has drawn attention for the outrageous actions of the Romanian, including returning to the scene solely to steal jewelry from the husband who was trying to save his wife. Local authorities have not publicly released the defendant’s full name.
