French police arrested after missing man found dead

The Police initially denied having encountered Taoufik, who disappeared on the 22nd of Niovember. On Friday they finally admitted having taken him temporarily into custody. The story given by the three officers in question is not consistent with that of other witnesses. They claim to have checked his papers some 15 minutes before they returned to the station at 12:30am whereas other witnesses place the events at closer to 10:30pm.

The police claim to have let him out of the car some 500 yards away after having checked his papers, however there is no eye-witness evidence to corroborate this.

The autopsy results suggest that Taoufik's body had been in the water since the night in question, his wallet was found on the 24th by a homeless man, although it is unclear at what stage he gave this information to police.

The autopsy has found no indication of foul play. Taoufik was fully clothed, with no signs of a struggle. The fact that his wallet was not with his body is suspicious. What is more suspicious is that no water was found in his lungs. Taoufik's blood alcohol level was 3.74g, suggesting severe intoxication.

The three officers involved have been taken into custody and an investigation has begun into whether they should be charged for giving false statements and "abandonment of a person in a physical state that left them incapable of protecting themselves"

The police unions have accused the investigators of over-reacting, claiming that the officers in question had been trying a soft approach and had released Taoufik rather than put him in the cells for the night and fine him.