[rugby] anomalies in the cecillon shooting

Former French rugby captain Marc Cecillon, 47, who won 46 caps for France, has admitted shooting his wife Chantal with a Magnum revolver in a drunken rage at a party in August 2004 in front of some 60 party guests and has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Prosecutor Francoise Pavan-Dubois said: "He could get life in prison, but I am seeking far less than that, asking for 15 years," she said. The jury which determines sentence as well as guilt or innocence in French criminal cases decided on a harsher sentence of 20 years. One headline said: Chantal Cecillon – remarquable de gentilesse. He was called: l'homme tranquille du rugby français. Two very gentle people, it seems. Le Figaro says : « Il n'y avait pas que l'alcool » The daughter pleaded for leniency. How can we know what provocation there was – who knows what little comments were stored up over the years. Doesn’t excuse him but this situation looks quite dodgy to me.