A French criminal, Rédoine Faïd, who once escaped from prison using a helicopter, has been given an additional 14-year jail term by a court in Paris.
Faïd was inspired by gangster movies from France and America for his criminal career.
He was caught after his dramatic escape from Réau prison on the outskirts of Paris in 2018.
During the trial, Faïd’s two brothers, three nephews, and a convicted member of the Corsican underworld also faced charges.
This escape was Faïd’s second successful jailbreak.
In 2013, he used smuggled explosives and a gun to escape from Sequedin prison in the north but was recaptured a month later.
In 2018, Faïd and three armed accomplices commandeered a helicopter to escape from Réau jail.
They ordered the pilot to land in the prison courtyard, used smoke bombs to confuse the guards and cut through doors to reach Faïd, who was meeting with his brother Brahim.
The helicopter took off with Faïd in less than 10 minutes.
He remained on the run for three months but was eventually found in his hometown, Creil, north of Paris, dressed as a woman in a Muslim burqa.
The trial provided Faïd with a rare opportunity to present a romanticized version of his criminal past after years in solitary confinement.
Faïd told the court that boredom and the prospect of spending another 20 years in jail led him to plan the escape, which he based on previous celebrated French prison breaks.
He explained how he saw the authorities had failed to use anti-helicopter nets above the courtyard, which inspired his plan.
However, the prosecution argued that the escape was a family affair, and Faïd’s ties with organized crime had been severed due to his love of the limelight.
During the early 2010s, Faïd co-authored a book about his criminal past and made regular appearances on national television during a period of trying to reform.
Born to Algerian parents as the 10th of 11 children, Faïd committed his first bank robbery in 1990.
He became known for attacking armored vans, with his first conviction in 1998.
Despite claiming to follow a criminal code of honor and not harm victims, a policewoman was killed during a chase in 2010 following a robbery he organized.
The court sentenced Faïd’s elder brother Rachid, aged 65, to 10 years in jail for organizing the helicopter flight.
One of Faïd’s nephews was onboard the helicopter, while another was ready with getaway vehicles.
Faïd’s brother Brahim, who claimed he knew nothing of the plot, received a one-year suspended prison sentence.
A subplot in the trial involved a connection with the Corsican mafia.
It was alleged that Faïd had contacted a convicted underworld boss, Jacques Mariani, through an intermediary to arrange an escape in exchange for dealing with rival gang members.
Both men denied this story, and the only evidence came from the intermediary, who testified from behind a screen and now lives under a new identity in a foreign country.
During the trial, there was a mishap when the intermediary’s face was accidentally broadcast in the courtroom.
A photograph was taken and shared on social media, but the person responsible was never identified.
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