A driver accused of running over and killing a police officer who went to his aid when he fell asleep, drunk, at the wheel of his car in 2020, is on trial in France starting today.

Present in the courtroom were many police officers including both of the victim’s colleagues who were with him on the night of the tragedy and have filed a civil suit, along with his widow and three children.

On the night of August 5-6, 2020, police received a call from the fire department to help “a drunken driver who fell asleep in the middle of the road” near Mans train station in western France. The 43-year-old policeman and his two colleagues went to the scene but were unable to rouse the driver from his slumber.

Just as they were about to break one of the vehicle’s windows, the driver woke up and, after a brief conversation with the police, stepped on the accelerator while the 43-year-old was halfway into the car.

The vehicle hit a wall.

The policeman, a father of three, was killed on the spot.

His death sparked a backlash from the police, all the more so because the accused driver had been convicted twice before, once for drunken driving in 2015 and the second for insulting and resisting the authority in 2018.

The driver, who is currently 29 years old, was remanded in custody pending his trial. His lawyer, Jean de Barry, claimed his client “reacted instinctively” when he hit the accelerator and did not want to kill the officer. He will seek to be convicted of negligent homicide which, due to the perpetrator’s heavy criminal record, carries a 10-year prison sentence.

The decision is expected to be announced on Wednesday.