In the south of France on Wednesday, June 6, began the trial of a 30-year-old bank robbery against punk musician Gilles Bertin. Until recently, Gilles was believed to be dead, although in fact he had been hiding from the French authorities for decades. Journalist Chris Bockman explains why Bertin gave up.
Gilles Bertin (right). Photo: Jean Zindel
In the early 1980s, young Gilles Bertin sang in the furious punk band Camera Silens from Bordeaux. Camera Silens referred to themselves as anarchist skinheads, named after the solitary confinement cells that held the leaders of the German left-wing terrorist group Red Army Faction, and loved British punk and ska in the vein of The Clash, Sham 69 and UK Subs. Back in the beginning musical career Gilles served a short time for theft, but returned to the group after prison.
In April 1988, Gilles, along with accomplices, staged another robbery, which resulted in the breakup of the group. An anarchist group attacked a Brinks cash-in-transit car in Toulouse and stole 12 million francs (2 million euros).
Money could not be found, but almost all the robbers, with the exception of Bertin, were caught and brought to justice. Many of them, like other punks and anarchists among the members and fans of Camera Silens, used drugs and were carriers of HIV infection. Some of them died, some served time, after which they preferred to switch to a more conformist lifestyle.
And Gilles Bertin is gone. He was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison, but could not be found anywhere. The group fell apart after the disappearance of the frontman, tried to get together again in the early 2000s, without Gilles, but to no avail.
Gilles Bertin. Photo: Jean Zindel
Where Gilles himself was, no one knew until November 2016. As the musician now tells, he left for Portugal with a bag of cash and opened a music store in Lisbon. Sometimes French tourists recognized him, but Gilles said that he had nothing to do with Camera Silens and did not understand what he was talking about.
After about 10 years, he left Lisbon for Barcelona, where Gil's girlfriend had a family. The man was afraid that French policemen were on his trail, although in fact he was considered dead in France.
Gilles began to work in a family bar, the couple had a child. Only his girlfriend knew about the man’s past, his blind eye also reminded him of him: already in Barcelona, Gilles was hospitalized in serious condition due to hepatitis and almost died.
Bertin says that the Barcelona doctors treated him for free and did not ask any questions. He didn't have any papers. His life was saved, but Gilles himself did not give anything to society. With this thought, he decided to surrender to the French authorities.
“Actually, I did it for my son. He still doesn't understand why I've been on the run for 30 years and he deserves to find out," says Bertin.
In November 2016, Gilles Bertin surrendered to the authorities of the city of Toulouse, where the 30-year-old robbery was committed. Gilles expected to be arrested, and when he was allowed to await trial at large, only got angry.
Gilles says that for the past three decades he was ashamed of his past, could not tell anyone who he really was. He lived in constant fear that someone would reveal him.
Now he is 57. Gilles admits that then, in the 80s, he was a completely different person: a nihilist, a rebel, fighting against society. He hopes to convince the court that he has changed over the years. Gilles faces up to 20 years in prison.
He was defended by the well-known French lawyer Christian Etelen, who in the past represented the interests of Islamists, left-wing terrorists, gangsters and other criminals. 74-year-old Etelen was already thinking of retiring, but for the sake of such a case, he decided to postpone his plans.
On February 2, 1979, Sid Vicious was found dead, a British punk musician who gained fame as the bassist of the cult punk band the Sex Pistols. He became famous for his rebellious character and love for Nancy Spungen, which ended tragically for both. The names Sid and Nancy have become household names. Sid's real name is John Simon Richie, but there is no single version about his pseudonym. According to one version, the nickname came up with fellow Sex Pistols John Lydon, after Sid was bitten by John's hamster and he exclaimed "Sid is really vicious!" According to another version stage name he is indebted to Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd and the Lou Reed song "Vicious". After a while, they began to take to the streets, performing cover versions of Alice Cooper songs. At that time, Sid Vicious starts dyeing his hair in bright colors, and a little later they collect the group The 4 Johns, in which, as you might guess, 4 Johns gathered. After that, Sid gets the opportunity to become the vocalist of The Damned, but did not show up for the audition, a little later he joins group The Flowers of Romance. In September 76, he, along with other musicians, filled the vacancy by performing at the first international punk festival and tasting big scene , and at the same time the prison in which he soon landed because of his ugly behavior on stage. In early 1977, Syd joined the Sex Pistols, replacing Glen Matlock in it, which he could have gotten into a year earlier, but John Lydon was chosen as the vocalist instead. Now he became the band's bassist, and the choice fell on him more because of his image than because of his virtuoso playing, since everyone (including his teacher Lemmy) believed that he was weak on the bass guitar. Sometimes it was even turned off at concerts. At that time, Sid invented the dance that became characteristic of early punk and was called the pogo. Soon he meets an American Sex Pistols fan, Nancy Spangel, who became his mistress. A little later, he ends up in the hospital with hepatitis C. At this time, his heroin addiction becomes so dangerous that his friend Lydon was forced to constantly accompany him. The group fell apart right before our eyes, Sid constantly became the object of attacks by fans, falling under a hail of bottles and occasionally reciprocating, so in America it was decided to disband the Sex Pistols. Sid indulged in drug dope for a while in the company of new acquaintances, who later sent him to England to Nancy, saving him from an overdose. Then Sid and Nancy took part in the filming of the film "The Great Rock and Roll Swindle", after which they were released from the management of McLaren (manager of the Sex Pistols) / Nancy becomes his new manager and organizes a number of concerts in the USA. For a series of recordings, the couple receive $25,000 in cash from McLaren, which they hid in their Chelsea hotel room. This was the beginning of the end. On October 11, 1977, Nancy needed a dose and after that Sid and Nancy fell into a drug addiction, from which Sid woke up the next morning, and Nancy was destined to fall asleep forever. She was found dead, stabbed to death with Sid's knife. Vicious was arrested for murder, although few believed that it was he who did it, especially since 25 thousand disappeared without a trace. For 50 thousand he was released on bail, but on October 22, Sid Vicious attempted suicide and ended up in a clinic. After that, he once again goes to jail for fighting. Finally, after bail, he arrives at Michelle Robinson's apartment, where he takes two doses of heroin, in between taking which he loses consciousness. The next morning he was found dead. Sid Vicious died from a drug overdose. After an autopsy, an 80% solution of heroin was found in his body instead of the usual five percent. Sid Vicious forever remained in the memory of the fans as a rebel who looked for his own ways and became, perhaps against his will, one of the symbols of the punk movement.
Image copyright Jean Zindel Image caption
In the south of France on Wednesday, June 6, began the trial of a 30-year-old bank robbery against punk musician Gilles Bertin. Until recently, Gilles was believed to be dead, although in fact he had been hiding from the French authorities for decades.
Journalist Chris Bockman explains why Bertin gave up.
In the early 1980s, young Gilles Bertin sang in the furious punk band Camera Silens from Bordeaux. Camera Silens referred to themselves as anarchist skinheads, named after the solitary confinement cells that held the leaders of the German left-wing terrorist group "Red Army Faction", and loved British punk and ska in the spirit of The Clash, Sham 69 and UK Subs. Even at the beginning of his musical career, Gilles served a short term for theft, but returned to the group after prison.
- Alien "War": an art group that quarreled with Europe is waiting for help from Russia
- "VMayakovsky": how a punk suicide became a myth and a monument
In April 1988, Gilles, along with accomplices, staged another robbery, which resulted in the breakup of the group. An anarchist group attacked a Brinks cash-in-transit car in Toulouse and stole 12 million francs (2 million euros).
Money could not be found, but almost all the robbers, with the exception of Bertin, were caught and brought to justice. Many of them, like other punks and anarchists among the members and fans of Camera Silens, used drugs and were carriers of HIV infection. Some of them died, some served time, after which they preferred to switch to a more conformist lifestyle.
Image copyright Jean Zindel Image caption Gilles Bertin on stage, 1984And Gilles Bertin is gone. He was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison, but could not be found anywhere. The group fell apart after the disappearance of the frontman, tried to get together again in the early 2000s, without Gilles, but to no avail.
Where Gilles himself was, no one knew until November 2016. As the musician now tells, he left for Portugal with a bag of cash and opened a music store in Lisbon. Sometimes French tourists recognized him, but Gilles said that he had nothing to do with Camera Silens and did not understand what he was talking about.
- Terry Perkins dies in prison in England
- FBI solves robbery based on Scorsese movie
After about 10 years, he left Lisbon for Barcelona, where Gil's girlfriend had a family. The man was afraid that French policemen were on his trail, although in fact he was considered dead in France.
Gilles began to work in a family bar, the couple had a child. Only his girlfriend knew about the man’s past, his blind eye also reminded him: already in Barcelona, Gilles was hospitalized in a serious condition due to hepatitis and almost died.
Bertin says that the Barcelona doctors treated him for free and did not ask any questions. He didn't have any papers. His life was saved, but Gilles himself did not give anything to society. With this thought, he decided to surrender to the French authorities.
"I actually did it for my son. He still doesn't understand why I've been on the run for 30 years and he deserves to find out," Bertin says.
In November 2016, Gilles Bertin surrendered to the authorities of the city of Toulouse, where the 30-year-old robbery was committed. Gilles expected to be arrested, and when he was allowed to await trial at large, only got angry.
Image caption Gilles Bertin in a cafe in Toulouse Image copyright AFP Image caption Photograph of Gilles Bertin released by police in 1988Gilles says that for the past three decades he was ashamed of his past, could not tell anyone who he really was. He lived in constant fear that someone would reveal him.
Now he is 57. Gilles admits that then, in the 80s, he was a completely different person: a nihilist, a rebel, fighting against society. He hopes to convince the court that he has changed over the years. Gilles faces up to 20 years in prison.
He was defended by the well-known French lawyer Christian Etelen, who in the past represented the interests of Islamists, left-wing terrorists, gangsters and other criminals. 74-year-old Etelen was already thinking of retiring, but for the sake of such a case, he decided to postpone his plans.
In case he is not sent to prison, Gilles is going to return to Barcelona.
The day after the publication of this text, the court sentenced Gilles Bertin: five years probation.
In the south of France on Wednesday, June 6, began the trial of a 30-year-old bank robbery against punk musician Gilles Bertin. Until recently, Gilles was believed to be dead, although in fact he had been hiding from the French authorities for decades. Journalist Chris Bockman explains why Bertin gave up.
Gilles Bertin (right). Photo: Jean Zindel
In the early 1980s, young Gilles Bertin sang in the furious punk band Camera Silens from Bordeaux. Camera Silens referred to themselves as anarchist skinheads, named after the solitary confinement cells that held the leaders of the German left-wing terrorist group Red Army Faction, and loved British punk and ska in the vein of The Clash, Sham 69 and UK Subs. Even at the beginning of his musical career, Gilles served a short term for theft, but returned to the group after prison.
In April 1988, Gilles, along with accomplices, staged another robbery, which resulted in the breakup of the group. An anarchist group attacked a Brinks cash-in-transit car in Toulouse and stole 12 million francs (2 million euros).
Money could not be found, but almost all the robbers, with the exception of Bertin, were caught and brought to justice. Many of them, like other punks and anarchists among the members and fans of Camera Silens, used drugs and were carriers of HIV infection. Some of them died, some served time, after which they chose to start a more conformist lifestyle.
And Gilles Bertin is gone. He was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison, but could not be found anywhere. The group fell apart after the disappearance of the frontman, tried to get together again in the early 2000s, without Gilles, but to no avail.
Gilles Bertin. Photo: Jean Zindel Where Gilles himself was, no one knew until November 2016. As the musician now tells, he left for Portugal with a bag of cash and opened a music store in Lisbon. Sometimes French tourists recognized him, but Gilles said that he had nothing to do with Camera Silens and did not understand what he was talking about.
After about 10 years, he left Lisbon for Barcelona, where Gil's girlfriend had a family. The man was afraid that French policemen were on his trail, although in fact he was considered dead in France.
Gilles began to work in a family bar, the couple had a child. Only his girlfriend knew about the man’s past, his blind eye also reminded him: already in Barcelona, Gilles was hospitalized in a serious condition due to hepatitis and almost died.
Bertin says that the Barcelona doctors treated him for free and did not ask any questions. He didn't have any papers. His life was saved, but Gilles himself did not give anything to society. With this thought, he decided to surrender to the French authorities.
“Actually, I did it for my son. He still doesn't understand why I've been on the run for 30 years and he deserves to find out," says Bertin.
In November 2016, Gilles Bertin surrendered to the authorities of the city of Toulouse, where the 30-year-old robbery was committed. Gilles expected to be arrested, and when he was allowed to await trial at large, only got angry.
Gilles says that for the past three decades he was ashamed of his past, could not tell anyone who he really was. He lived in constant fear that someone would reveal him.
Now he is 57. Gilles admits that then, in the 1980s, he was a completely different person: a nihilist, a rebel, fighting against society. He hopes to convince the court that he has changed over the years. Gilles faces up to 20 years in prison.
He was defended by the well-known French lawyer Christian Etelen, who in the past represented the interests of Islamists, left-wing terrorists, gangsters and other criminals. 74-year-old Etelen was already thinking of retiring, but for the sake of such a case, he decided to postpone his plans.
In case he is not sent to prison, Gilles is going to return to Barcelona.
