The Loire-Atlantique Assize Court sentenced Martin Ney to life imprisonment on Thursday evening for the 2004 kidnapping and murder of Jonathan Coulom.
Martin Ney, already serving life in Germany for three child murders, was found guilty of the kidnapping, sequestration and murder of the 10-year-old boy at Saint-Brevin-les-Pins. The body was recovered tied and weighted in a pond. The victim’s father, Stéphane Coulom, said outside the courtroom: « Enfin Justice a été rendue pour notre fils. » Family lawyers welcomed a « soulagement » and recognition by French justice after 22 years of investigation. Ney, nicknamed the « Schwartzmann », denied the charges throughout the trial held from 19 May to 4 June. The defence argued reasonable doubt, but the court accepted a bundle of clues including forum messages and witness accounts.
