Besson Company guilty

2009-06-29 17:05

Paris - French film giant Luc Besson's production firm EuropaCorp was found guilty of manslaughter on Monday over the death of a cameraman during a car chase scene in the action comedy Taxi 2.

The Paris court of appeal fined Europacorp €100 000 ($140 000) for its role in the death of 41-year-old Frenchman Alain Dutartre, who was hit by a car during a botched stunt for the blockbuster, shot in Paris in 1999.

Dutartre's family took the case to appeal after EuropaCorp was cleared of all charges at the initial trial in 2007.

Stuntman Remy Julienne, who devised high-speed chases for six James Bond movies and the 1969 caper The Italian Job, was initially handed an 18-month suspended jail sentence as sole responsible for the accident.

Julienne's jail sentence was reduced on appeal to six months suspended. His fine was also cut from €13 000 to €2 000, although he was ordered to pay the victim's family €60 000 in damages.

During the scene, a stunt car fitted with special foils to make it briefly lift off the ground came speeding out of a tunnel and became airborne.

Intended to land in a pile of cardboard, the car sailed past its mark and hit Dutartre, who died hours later of massive head injuries.

The Taxi series of police action movies, filled with extravagant stunts and rapid-fire banter, have been huge box-office hits in France.

- SAPA