Patrick Henry (murderer)

Patrick Henry (31 March 1953 – 3 December 2017) was a French criminal, cause célèbre and the subject of public and judicial controversy. He was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of 8-year-old Philippe Bertrand in January 1976.[1]

Patrick Henry
Henry shortly before his arrest in early 1976
Born	31 March 1953 Troyes, France
Died	3 December 2017 (aged 64) Lille, France
Occupation	Travelling salesman Printer and publisher
Criminal status	Deceased
Conviction(s)	Murder with aggravating circumstances (1977) Drug trafficking (in possession of 10 kg of cannabis) (2003)
Criminal penalty	Life imprisonment (January 20, 1977) Returned to his life prisoner condition, 4 year-term, €20,000 fine and the confiscation of money he had with him (around €8,000) (July 22, 2003)

The trial began on 18 January 1977 and he was defended by Robert Bocquillon and Robert Badinter. A contentious issue in the trial was the validity of capital punishment in France; Badinter, a fervent supporter of its abolition, would ultimately convince the jury not to execute his client.[2] This case is said to have had an influence in leading to the abolition of the death penalty in France in 1981. Henry was instead sentenced to life imprisonment and was paroled in 2001; however, he returned to prison two years later after having been caught trying to smuggle drugs into France. He was subsequently denied parole multiple times before finally succeeding and being released from prison on medical grounds in September 2017.[3]