"The bodyguards deported the victim to the premises of the ‘Garde Civile' and put him in a cell. There, at the orders of the suspect, they systematically abused him for several days. The abuse included whipping the victim, who was practically naked, with a cordelette - a hard braided belt. As he describes it, he was also used as a punch bag by the body guards. The suspect watched the scene from his balcony." - (Quotation from a witness statement in the Sébastien N. case)
Once the 1F file was received, a criminal investigation was initiated. Around this time, a victim living in the Netherlands came forward and stated that he had been tortured by Sébastien N. The victim recognized N. as ‘le roi des bêtes', or ‘king of the animals'. During the investigation in response to this report, a second person, a woman, came forward who recognized N. from her period of imprisonment. On 26 September 2003, N. was arrested on suspicion of torture. On 7 April 2004, the Rotterdam District Court found N. guilty of participating in torture in 1996. He was sentenced to two years and six months' imprisonment.
Judgment:
Rotterdam District Court, 7 April 2004
