Jean-Claude Bonnal (born 4 February 1953) is a French criminal and multi-recidivist hold-up man of Vietnamese origin, nicknamed 'the Chinaman'.
Bonnal committed seven murders, two attempted murders - probably a third - and several armed robberies between 1973 and 2001. His case caused a stir in October 2001, following the murder of six people, including two police officers, after he was released in December 2000.
Biography
Youth Jean-Claude Bonnal was born on 4 February 1953 in Saïgon. He was one of 12 siblings. The Bonnal family did not stay long in Ho Chi Minh City, as the Indochina War wreaked havoc in French Indochina.
In 1956, Bonnal and his family fled the Indochina War, were repatriated to France and settled in Vitry-sur-Seine, on the outskirts of Paris. As a child, Bonnal was regularly subjected to racism by his classmates, who treated him as a foreigner and Chinese, even though he was Vietnamese.
In 1969, when Bonnal was 16, two of his brothers, aged 12 and 15 respectively, died in a fire in a cellar. The incident was a 'hard blow' for Bonnal, who became depressed before turning to delinquency.
In May 1971, aged 18, Bonnal was arrested and remanded in custody for his first misdemeanours. He spent a short time in prison, before being released following a suicide attempt. Just after his release, Bonnal did his military service in the navy. He remained in the navy for five months before deserting in 1972.
The "Southern Suburbs Gang" and first murder In 1972, Bonnal, aged 19, became the 'second knife' in the 'gang de la banlieue sud' in Paris and began planning various hold-ups, burglaries and robberies in order to collect a large sum of money. The 'gang de la banlieue sud' consisted of four members, including Bonnal, who frequented the bars of Vitry-sur-Seine to 'put their plans into action'. When the gang was formed, Bonnal was nicknamed 'Bobonne' by his accomplices.
In July 1973, Bonnal and his accomplices in the 'gang de la banlieue sud' robbed an elderly woman's house to pay for a holiday. The gangsters divided up the tasks; some bound and gagged the old lady, while the others robbed the house. However, the victim's bindings are relatively tight and she suffocates to death. Believing that the old lady was still alive, Bonnal and his accomplices fled and committed another burglary in the process, during which the gang deliberately injured a passer-by. Bonnal and his accomplices were recognised by witnesses to the robbery and arrested. Following their arrest, they were charged with burglary, robbery and murder, then remanded in custody. The examining magistrate considered that the act had been committed with premeditation.
While in custody, Bonnal and the rest of the 'gang from the southern suburbs' defended themselves against the charges, insisting that they were unaware that the elderly woman had died as a result of the robbery. In order to prove their case, the four defendants asserted that they would not have committed a burglary in the immediate aftermath, because of the consequences and the penalty involved - the death penalty (which was still applicable at the time of the events and the investigation). Faced with the relentless insistence of Bonnal and his accomplices, the examining magistrate decided to analyse the facts in minute detail. In the years that followed, he finally recognised the consistency of the gang's claims and referred them to the Assize Court for burglary, robbery and fatal blows.
In March 1979, Bonnal and the rest of the 'gang de la banlieue sud' appeared before the Assize Court for burglary and manslaughter during the robbery. Bonnal was 26 at the time. At the end of his trial, Bonnal was found guilty of 'assault and battery resulting in death without intent' and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment.
Release, married life and a return to crime Bonnal was released on 30 June 1981, after serving almost 8 years in prison. Bonnal was 28 when he was released and decided to move to Orly, into a small flat in the Mermoz housing estate.
Fifteen days later, on 15 July, Bonnal met an 18-year-old girl called Martine, who was fascinated by Bonnal's kindness. The two began a romantic relationship and got married. Martine remained very sensitive to Jean-Claude's plight, as he regularly told her about the death of his two younger brothers, who had been burnt alive in a cellar in Vitry several years earlier. Bonnal and Martine gave birth to a son in 1982. The birth soon became complicated for the couple, especially Bonnal, because of their low income.« J'ai fait vingt-six ans de prison, je n'ai rien à perdre », sur Libération, 8 février 2003
In April 1983, Bonnal held up a supermarket and stole a tractor before fleeing. Following the robbery, people present at the scene described a man of Asian, or even Chinese, appearance. The police were able to use a sketch to identify Bonnal, aged 30, who had been free for less than two years. Bonnal was arrested, charged with robbery and theft, and remanded in custody at Fresnes prison. When Martine learned of Bonnal's relapse, he admitted to her that he had 'slipped up' and insisted that he had not intended to relapse, saying that he would not commit any more crimes. Empathising with Jean-Claude, Martine decides to support him in his defence, even going so far as to propose marriage. While on remand, Bonnal married Martine on 4 January 1984 at the Fresnes prison.
In June 1985, Bonnal appeared before the Seine-et-Marne Assize Court on charges of robbery and theft, committed as a repeat offender. He was 32 years old at the time. During his trial, Bonnal was supported by his wife Martine, who painted a very positive picture of her husband and believed in his redemption. At the end of his trial, Bonnal was sentenced to 7 years' imprisonment.
Release and the Barclay's Bank robbery Bonnal was released from prison in April 1988 after five years. At the age of 35, he was unable to find a job that would allow him to support his family: himself, Martine and her son. Shortly after his release from prison, Bonnal learned that Martine was expecting a second child and realised that he had to put his income aside to avoid being laid off.
On 3 November, Bonnal returned to crime, robbing a branch of Barclay's Bank in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The robbery turned out badly for Bonnal, as the police were soon alerted to the attack. During the attack on Barclay's Bank, a shoot-out broke out between Bonnal and the police. There was heavy gunfire and a policeman was seriously injured in the shoot-out. Bonnal was eventually overpowered by the police along with three accomplices. The four men were charged with robbery and attempted murder, and remanded in custody. On 30 December, Martine gave birth to the couple's second daughter, Anaïs Bonnal. When her husband returned to prison, Martine did not abandon him because of his efforts to save the family.
From 9 to 11 September 1991, Bonnal appeared before the Paris Assize Court for the Barclay's Bank robbery preceded by the attempted murder of a police officer. At the end of the three-day trial, Bonnal was found guilty as charged and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment.« Jean-Claude Bonnal, dit "le Chinois", face à la justice pour deux séries de meurtres », sur Le Monde, 6 septembre 2005
Released and implicated in the 'Printemps Haussmann' robbery Bonnal was released on 30 January 1997, after more than 8 years in prison. Following his release, Bonnal took a job at a karaoke restaurant called Taratata, where he became friends with a girl.
At around 2pm on 24 November 1998, two men held up a bureau de change at the entrance to the Printemps Haussmann department stores' and killed the security guard. The loot amounted to 296,000 francs. As they left the building, the robbers removed their balaclavas. Émile Ferrari, a mechanic and former bodyguard who had witnessed the robbery in the shop, followed them and tried to immobilise Mohamed Benamara in the street. One of the robbers shoots him in the head. The two accomplices panicked and threatened the crowd with their weapons as they fled. The stampede left ten people injured. Émile Ferrari survived his wound, but it caused him memory loss. Investigators found two 11.43 calibre shells at the scene. Émile Ferrari was certain that it was Bonnal who shot him, while witnesses said it was Benamara. Later, Émile Ferrari told the examining magistrate that it was Benamara who shot him in the head. An informer reported Bonnal, aged 45, and Benamara, aged 49, to the investigators.
On 16 December, Benamara was arrested at his partner's home in Colombes. The next day, Bonnal was arrested at his home in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges. They denied the facts, said they did not know each other and had alibis that were not infallible. When Benamara's home was searched, the investigators found no evidence. But when Bonnal's flat was searched, foreign currency was found in an envelope on the fridge and a Colt 45 pistol was discovered in a plastic bag hidden behind a skirting board. Bonnal declared that the pistol was not his and that it had been entrusted to him for safekeeping and concealment. Ballistics tests established that it was this pistol that had fired the two bullets at the scene of the robbery. At the end of their respective periods in police custody on 18 December, Bonnal and Benamara were charged with armed robbery preceded by attempted murder and remanded in Fleury-Mérogis prison.
During the trial, Bonnal was taken from prison to be presented to Ferrari. When he was lurking behind the one-way mirror, Ferrari formally identified Bonnal, using the description of his face, which earned him the nickname 'the Chinaman'. Bonnal did not appreciate this nickname, as he was of Vietnamese origin. In pre-trial detention, Bonnal and Benamara, who claimed to be completely innocent of the charges against them, repeatedly applied for their release, which was refused. However, the defence of the two defendants raised doubts about their guilt, due to the quality of the video from the surveillance cameras used during the robbery and the fact that Bonnal and Benamara did not know each other, despite their criminal records, which 'only' suggested that they were guilty.
In November 2000, Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard, Benamara's lawyer, made a new request for her client's release, which was finally granted, due to the lack of evidence linking him to the robbery. After almost two years in custody, Benamara was released on 4 December. On 21 December, the judges of the indictment division also decided that Bonnal's pre-trial detention was not justified. It had lasted two years, an average length of time in Paris for a criminal case. On 26 December, while awaiting trial, Bonnal was released from Fleury-Mérogis prison on 80,000 francs (12,196 euros) bail.« Fallait-il libérer « le Chinois » ? », sur L'Express, 25 octobre 2001
The 'Fontenoy' and 'Plessis-Trévise' killings