A French court has sentenced a nine-member gang who violently kidnapped a Jewish family to sentences of up to 12 years in prison.
The Assize Court in Seine-Saint-Denis, located near Paris, tries some of the most egregious crimes committed in France.
The judge ruled in this case that the gang receive sentences ranging from 4 to 12 years in jail.
The lengthiest sentence was handed down to the ringleader of the three main assailants who attacked Mireille Pinto, 75, Roger Pinto, 89, and their 52-year old son David.
The elder Pinto is a well known leader of the French Jewish community.
The assailants threatened the Jewish family with a knife and a screwdriver. They also beat them and held them hostage for hours while they ransacked their house in Paris suburb Livry-Gargan searching for valuables and cash.
During the attack the family were told, “You are Jewish, we know that the Jews have a lot of money and you will give us what you have. If you do not give us what we ask you, we’ll kill you.”
They only found 500 euros but also stole credit cards and jewellery, some of which they tore directly from Mireille’s neck. They also stole cutlery.
The other two kidnappers received seven and eight-year sentences.
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