Death Sentences For Murder Bid

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30073, 6 March 1963, Page 13

Death Sentences For Murder Bid

(N.ZJ’^.-Reyter—Copyright)

PARIS, March 5. Three men lay today in Fresnes Prison, south of Paris, in cells with special red markings to show they have been condemned to death. A military court last night sentenced them for the attempted machine-gun assassination of President de Gaulle on August 22 last year. There is no appeal from the sentences. Three more men were sentenced to death in their absence.*

Prison sentences ranging from hard labour for life to three years were passed on eight others after a five-week trial

Those who heard their death sentences are: Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry, aged 36, a former Air Force lieutenantcolonel; Alain Bourgrenet de la Tocnaye, aged 37, a former lieutenant; and Jacques Prevost, aged 32, an electronics engineer and former paratrooper. Sentenced to death in their absence were Georges (“The Limp”) Watin, aged 36, an

Algerian-born agronomist, also sought for his part in an alleged new plot against the President last month; a Hungarian, Lajos Martonn, formerly of the Foreign Legion; and Serge Bercier. Gyula Sari, a 32-year-old refugee, who was originally being tried with them in his absence, was charged yester-

day, 10 days after his capture, with complicity in the August assassination attempt General Buisines, aged 36, a former legionnaire, got hard labour for life. A death sentenced had been demanded. Sentences of 15 yean’ hard labour were passed on a 22-year-old Air Force deserter, Pierre Magade, whose arrest led to the rounding up of the nine accused in the dock, and Pascal Berlin, a 21-year-old student The defence pleaded the men had planned only to kidnap General de Gaulle and hold him for “trial” on charges of treason.