French actress declines to press charges after home burglary by illegal immigrants

A French actress whose home in southern France was burglarized while she was away filming a project has chosen not to press charges against the three suspects, all illegal immigrants, after learning of their circumstances, according to reports.

Audrey Lamy, 43, had her residence near Montpellier targeted in a break-in last October, with the perpetrators making off with expensive jewelry, designer handbags and causing €18,200 ($19,700) in damage to the property.

When authorities apprehended three suspects of Italian-Bosnian origin for Ms. Lamy's burglary as well as 15 other break-ins across the region over a three-month span in 2022, the actress was said to have been "touched in the heart" by their situation as undocumented migrants, the French magazine PurePeople reported.

Ms. Lamy opted not to file an official complaint, reportedly wanting to "let it slide" rather than pursue additional charges against the trio, who had been living illegally in France.

The three migrants stood trial on April 3 before the Montpellier criminal court for the string of burglaries, though Ms. Lamy's case was not included in the indictment, according to reports.

Two of the defendants were acquitted of all charges and allowed to walk free, while the third received a one-year prison sentence and a 10-year ban from entering French territory upon completion of the term.

It remains unclear what evidence prosecutors had amassed related to the other burglaries, and how pivotal a complaint from Ms. Lamy could have been in potentially securing more convictions.

Ian Miles Cheong

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Ian Miles Cheong is a freelance writer, graphic designer, journalist and videographer. He’s kind of a big deal on Twitter.

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