A former Formula 1 driver was acquitted over an "idiotic" prank which saw a firework used to blow up his brother-in-law's window.
Jean Alesi, 58, is iconic in F1 for a spell in Ferrari during which he won his first and only race. He and his son Giuliano, 23, were on trial at Nimes Magistrates Court in France on Thursday, where the former racer defended his actions as "a bad joke", reports the French news agency AFP.
It happened on December 19, 2021, at the architect's office of his brother-in-law in Villeneuve-les-Avignon, near Marseille in the south of the country. Police were called around 10pm that night after residents heard an explosion.
A neighbour also approached officers after witnessing a car leaving the scene of the explosion with its lights off. After conducting enquiries, police discovered that the vehicle was owned by Alesi's brother, Jose.
After Jose was arrested, Alesi approached police himself to clear his brothers name and said he was the one in the car, with his son and another friend. He explained that he had placed "a large firework" in the window frame of the building and had not "imagined causing such damage".
Alesi insisted he had only intended to play "a bad joke" and that he had not meant to cause any damage. The brother-in-law, not named in the AFP report, is said to have had "no problem" with Alesi – but still filed an official complaint looking to recover costs to replace the damaged window.
At the hearing on Thursday, Alesi admitted full responsibility for the explosion and said: "I apologise because I've never had such an embarrassing situation in my life. It was idiotic. I was totally stunned by the power of the explosion. The intention was to have a laugh."
His lawyer, Thibaut de Montbrial, asserted that there is a tradition within the Alesi family to let off fireworks when celebrating something joyful. "Jean Alesi was over the moon that night to be reunited with his son after months of separation due to Covid," he told the court.
The prosecutor accepted the explanation that the incident was a prank gone wrong, and that there was no "element of intent" in Alesi's actions. It was also noted that he had paid damages to his brother-in-law, and so he was acquitted.
