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RENNES, France: A man in the Brittany region of northwestern France was fined by police and faces new legal proceedings after breaking the country’s coronavirus lockdown with the written explanation that he was going to “smash the face of a man”.
All people in France who go outside for any reason during their current lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic must print or download a form to complete and state the reason for their departure from home.
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Lannion City Police said in the early hours of Saturday (November 21), the 39-year-old man was found lurking behind a car by a police patrol and asked what he was doing.
“He explained that he was waiting for someone to ‘smash their face’ and that he was carrying a knife,” local police commander Daniel Kerdraon told AFP.
“He had the form written with his real name and the time he had left the house: 10:15 pm. But we told him that the reason for leaving was not valid.”
“In his own way, he was trying to comply with the letter of the law,” he added.
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The man, who had been drinking, was detained overnight and released Saturday morning with a mandatory fine of 135 euros ($ 160) for breaking lockdown rules and another 150 euros fine for drunken behavior.
“We showed him how to fill out the form correctly and made it clear that going out and ‘hitting someone’ is not a valid reason,” Kerdraon said.
The man will be questioned again Monday for carrying a weapon.
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