In 1960, Éric Peugeot, four years old, was kidnapped in a suburb of Paris. Éric is the son of Roland Peugeot, who at the time was the head of Etablissements Peugeot Frères. The case made headlines in all the newspapers and outraged all of France.
Although the police were immediately informed, Roland Peugeot was given the freedom to negotiate with the kidnappers on his own. The police were unaccustomed to handling such severe crimes. It was, in fact, the first time in France that a child from a prominent family had been kidnapped. The police were at a loss as to how to handle the situation.
Television as a Voice
Roland Peugeot became the first Frenchman in a kidnapping case to use television to address his son’s abductors.
“I speak to you as a father whose child has just been taken. Anyone who has children of their own and loves them will understand my situation, I am certain of that. My only concern is to get my son back safe and sound as quickly as possible. I have not filed a complaint. I solemnly pledge to request that the abductor will not be prosecuted.”
Following the kidnappers’ instructions, he gathered the ransom in standard banknotes and deposited it at an agreed-upon location in Paris, in the Passage Doisy, a shopping arcade. The kidnappers kept their word. Éric Peugeot was left unharmed in the 16th arrondissement, where he was found safe and sound in the middle of the night. The entire ordeal lasted three days.
Nonviolent Kidnapping
Roland Peugeot emphasized to the press that he had negotiated alone, without assistance from others. Even Éric, who was allowed to speak briefly to some journalists, recalled only a short ride in a stolen Peugeot 403 and a ground-floor room with a television. In reality, Éric was taken to a pavilion in a village in Val d’Oise, not far from Paris. He was well-treated and kept entertained with chocolate bars. He even played cards with his kidnappers.
Kidnappers Arrested and Convicted
At the time, police lacked the advanced investigative tools available today, and they took their time concluding the investigation. The hideout was discovered, along with the typewriter used to compose the ransom letter. However, the trail went cold. Eleven months later, in March 1961, Pierre-Marie Larcher (38) and Robert Rolland (25) were arrested while enjoying a luxurious stay in Megève. Interpol had alerted French investigators to the extravagant lifestyle of the two criminals, which was inconsistent with their lack of a legitimate income. After a period of surveillance, police found banknotes with serial numbers matching those of the ransom money. The two kidnappers, along with their flamboyant entourage, were promptly apprehended.
Twenty Years Imprisonment
Larcher and Rolland were sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Court of Appeal in Versailles. The trial turned into a melodrama, with Larcher claiming he had cared so well for the boy that he was certain Éric had enjoyed the experience, calling himself and Robert the “kindest kidnappers imaginable.” He then tried to divert the court’s attention by suggesting the involvement of a third man. Rolland, on the other hand, argued that they hadn’t intended to commit the kidnapping. However, he claimed they were forced into it after his Danish fiancée, Lise Bodin—better known as Miss Denmark of 1960—unexpectedly had to pay a large fine.
Lise didn’t escape legal trouble either. She spent three months in the notorious women’s prison in Versailles before being acquitted. It also emerged that the men had been inspired by the 1953 American novel The Snatchers. The ransom note sent to the Peugeot family was found to be a near replica of the letter from the book. It was, as the saying goes, “better well-stolen than poorly invented.”
The kidnappers were released after serving 12 and 14 years, respectively. Larcher became a professor of law, while Rolland took a job at a publishing house. Éric Peugeot went on to hold various roles within the family business, particularly in Belgium. Éric himself has stated that he bears no lasting trauma from the kidnapping.
