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Two hunters went on trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter Thursday over the death of a man two years ago in a case that has provoked a national debate over hunting laws.
Morgan Keane, a British French 25-year-old, was cutting wood in the small village of Calvignac in southwestern France when he was accidentally shot dead on Dec. 2, 2020, according to French news media reports. The mayor said at the time that Keane was just 100 meters (around 328 feet) from his home when he was shot.
Julien Féral, charged with the killing, told the court Tuesday that he had seen a “dark mass,” according to French radio station RTL. “I told myself it was the boar that I had missed [earlier in the hunt]. I aimed, I fired. Obviously, if I had seen a human silhouette, I would not have fired.”
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about it,” he said, sobbing. “I’m sorry.”
A police investigation found Féral, now 35, was inexperienced, did not know the area well, and that the hunt had been poorly organized, according to Agence France-Presse reports. He had held a hunting license for around six months at the time of the shooting, France 3 reported.
The head of the hunt, named by local media as 51-year-old Laurent Lapergue, also appeared in court. Prosecutor Alexandre Rossi said that he had “failed in the organization of the hunt” on the day in question, according to AFP. The judge said it had been an “absolute miracle” that an accident had not happened earlier, according to RTL.
Lapergue’s lawyer said that he gave safety rules for the hunt and had not breached his responsibilities — although her client accepted in the trial that “some do not listen to instructions,” according to France 3.
The two men could face up to three years in prison, a fine of 75,000 euros (around $77,450), as well as a ban on possessing weapons for five years or a permanent loss of their hunting permits if convicted, prosecutors say. A verdict is expected Jan. 12, according to AFP.
Keane’s death led to a public outcry and renewed focus on hunting laws in France. An online petition campaign, called One Day A Hunter, began sharing accounts of people killed or injured in hunting incidents — as well as what the organizers describe as inadequate sentences given to those involved.
The petition, which has received more than 130,000 signatures, made a number of demands to increase safety.
“So far, the examples show us that justice is very tolerant toward hunters; even the perpetrators of fatal shootings rarely go to prison. It is time to end this impunity,” the group argued.
The pressure led to the publication of a report by the French Senate in September, making 30 recommendations to increase security around hunting, such as improved training, banning the use of alcohol and allowing local authorities to limit the days or hours in which hunts can take place.
The French National Federation of Hunters criticized the report, with the federation’s president, Willy Schraen, accusing the senators of succumbing to anti-hunting influence.
According to French government figures, 90 injuries caused by hunting weapons were recorded in the 2021-2022 season, including eight fatalities — although overall numbers have fallen over the past 20 years.
