Lawyer: Kidnap and murder convict of young French Jew appeals sentence

Frenchman convicted of killing Jewish man appeals

PARIS — The lawyer for the convicted killer of a young French Jew says his client is appealing his sentence.

Youssouf Fofana was sentenced July 10 to the maximum punishment under French law — life imprisonment, with 22 years before parole can be considered— for the abduction, torture and death of Ilan Halimi, 23, in 2006.

Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has told prosecutors to appeal the sentences of 14 of the 24 others convicted in the crime, saying they were too lenient given the anti-Semitic character of the crime.

Fofana’s lawyer, Francois-Pascal Gery, said Friday his client, who headed the self-styled “gang of barbarians,” doesn’t want to be left out of the new trial for the 14 others.

Halimi’s family felt justice was not done at the closed-door trial.