After his Counter-Strike character died in a knife fight, 20-year-old Julien Barreaux spent six months tracking down the virtual killer. Then he grabbed a real kitchen knife and paid the man a visit.
Thankfully the Frenchman’s knife skills are almost as bad in real life as they are in Counter-Strike and he missed his victim’s heart by an inch. He was arrested “within the hour and told [police that]he had wanted to see his rival wiped out for killing off his character”.
Judge Alexiane Potel best summed up the entire situation with these words to Barreaux at the trial that followed:
You are a menace to society. I am frankly terrified of the disproportionate reaction you could have if someone looked at you the wrong way in the street.
Barreaux was sentenced to two years in jail and anger management therapy. [NY Daily News]
Picture by Rainer Ebert
Funky chicken
Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 8:19 AM2 years for manslaughter/attempted murder? does not compute. Please, no wannabe lawyer follow up comments, thanks
Dave Jacka
Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 8:49 AMI agree. If someone had tried to kill me and got within an inch of succeeding I’d hope they get more than two years. Sound like just enough time to plan how to do it right.
Dom
Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 10:41 AM2 Years? That’s a bit of a light sentence if you ask me – the guy tried to kill someone!
IM 2 1337 4 U
Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 2:43 PMLOL RAGE MORE BRO?!
Stefan
Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 4:18 PMon top of someone trying to kill someone else it was premeditated so irekon he should have got like 10 years :P
matt
Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 4:31 PM2 years!!??!?! are you kidding!!?!?!? all this wasting time with all of these draconian laws and restrictions, and really expensive enforcement mechanisms just to catch people who “MIGHT” do something wrong… (internet filter, no R for games, speed cameras, you can get fined for leaving your car unlocked because it MIGHT get stolen???)
all such a waste when all you need are PROPER PUNISHMENTS when someone actually DOES something wrong!
now make no mistake, he INTENDED to kill the man, so the fact that he didn’t is completely irrelevant. it was not in the heat of the moment – he spent 6 MONTHS planning it! one would think he would have counted to 10 by then! – first offence? don’t care. 25 to life at least!!
because I can tell you: if you took away my counter-strike with some stupid classification system, and left it with a slap on the wrist for premeditated attempted murder, I would be FAR more likely to kill someone than if I was allowed to murder virtual people all night, and knew I’d be throwing away my life if I ever tried to do it for real!!
honestly, I LoLed when I heard that “fined for leaving your car unlocked” thing! “oh, its because if your car gets stolen, it stretches police resources to find it” OH REALLY? how stretched can the be if half of them are out handing out frivolous fines???
SC
Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 5:12 PMMeh, the French haven’t fought in a single war so they don’t know much about the outcome of getting stabbed. This explains the light sentence. :P
antiheroinc
Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 6:52 PMno jokes about running faster with a knife? come on!
Brock Taffe
Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 6:55 PMhaha thats America’s justice system for you.
DansDans
Monday, May 31, 2010 at 1:35 PMExcept, moron, that it was in France.
Learning to read does wonders.
jazmin
Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 10:17 AMHAHAHAH, forget angry german kid….
Lord Wobok
Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 1:02 PMyea… apart from world wars 1 and 2, multiple civil wars, the napoleonic wars, the crusades, invasions of England France has been totally a pacifist.
VLF
Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 1:06 PM@SC: Yeah, that must be why there’s a huge monument in Paris called the Arc de la Paix.
Oh wait a minute…
FawX
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 8:38 PMI think people wont laugh at those who use those kind of threats anymore, Hell how did he find the other guy. IP address?