Assault in Baie Orientale: 4 and 7 years’ imprisonment
On the night of 18–19 May 2024, three women were attacked at Baie Orientale. Two of the three assailants were arrested and sentenced on 12 June 2026 by the Criminal Court of Saint Martin.
Four and seven years’ imprisonment, for acts of violence and sexual assault: these were the sentences handed down at the hearing on 12 June. Having noted the “extreme gravity” and “extreme violence” of the offences committed, the judges sentenced two of the three attackers from Baie Orientale, with the third still at large.
An ambush on the beach
On 18 May 2024, an electronic music night was held at the Boo Boo Jam venue, at the northern end of Baie Orientale beach. Lurking in the undergrowth, three men waited for the right moment to “rob” passers-by. In court, the attackers described it as a way “to make easy money”.
Shortly after midnight, Ms A was walking alone along the beach when she was pinned to the ground by the first man. A second man soon joined him. As she called for help, Ms B and Ms C rushed to her aid. Initially bystanders, they too became targets of the attackers. The attackers then realised that the two women were a couple, and a violent outburst ensued. According to the victims’ consistent statements, the men threatened them with weapons, slapped them and struck them in the face with the butts of their guns. The women were also subjected to groping and extremely violent sexual acts. The victims fought back and their attackers, failing to achieve their aims, eventually fled with several items of jewellery, a mobile phone and cash.
In a state of shock, the three women sought refuge at the event’s first-aid post before being interviewed by investigators from the criminal investigation unit. Submitted as part of the legal proceedings, medical examinations revealed the physical marks of these multiple assaults on the victims’ bodies.
An investigation relaunched a year later
After the incident, the investigation began. For over a year, the investigators made little headway. They tried to trace the perpetrators’ movements, to no avail. DNA, phone records, CCTV footage – nothing provided a definitive way to identify the attackers.
But in June 2025, the case took a turn. A man was arrested as part of an investigation into a rape committed at gunpoint in Cul-de-Sac. The police then began to link the two cases. Already convicted, the suspect was wearing an electronic tag. The GPS data from the tag confirmed his presence at Baie Orientale on the night of 18–19 May 2024.
The records also showed that he had been in the vegetation bordering the beach several hours before the attack, supporting the theory of an ambush. Investigations and interviews subsequently led to the identification of three men. During the hearing, the two defendants called to the stand admitted to having been present at the scene that night, whilst downplaying their involvement. The court, however, found that the victims’ statements, corroborated by the investigators’ findings, established that acts of violence and sexual assault had been committed by a group. The prosecutor described “a scene of unprecedented violence” and highlighted the lasting trauma suffered by the victims.
The first defendant was found guilty of acts of violence and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, with immediate remand in custody. The second defendant, already imprisoned in Baie-Mahault and whose profile was described as “particularly worrying and dangerous”, was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. He was ordered to remain in custody. The court also imposed a five-year ban on him possessing or carrying a weapon and noted his inclusion on the register of sex offenders. Regarding the civil claims of one of the victims, the case has been adjourned until 3 November 2026. As for the third alleged perpetrator, who is still wanted under an arrest warrant, he has not yet been tried.
