Joshua French

Joshua French
Born
Joshua Olav Daniel Hodne French

(1982-04-07) 7 April 1982 (age 42)
CitizenshipBritish and Norwegian dual citizenship
OccupationSecurity contractor (former)
Criminal statusReleased in 2017
Conviction(s)Murder, espionage
Criminal penaltyDeath
Partner(s)Tjostolv Moland
Details
VictimsAbedi Kasongo, 47
Date apprehended
May 2009
Imprisoned atKisangani, DR Congo (2009–2017)

Joshua Olav Daniel Hodne French (born 7 April 1982) is a Norwegian-British man who was convicted of murder in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He worked as a security contractor with his friend Tjostolv Moland when they were arrested in May 2009, and he was later convicted of attempted murder, armed robbery, the formation of a criminal association and espionage for Norway, of which he and Moland were found guilty and sentenced to death. In 2014 he was also convicted of the murder of Moland. He was released in 2017 after serving 8 years of his sentence, and returned to Norway.[1]

The trial caused controversy in Norway and Europe, as his mother claimed a lack of physical evidence, and "a clear economic motive from the Congolese government".[2]

  1. ^ "Joshua French tilbake i Norge i dag - løslatt i går". vg.no. 17 May 2017.
  2. ^ NRK (24 February 2017). "Kari Hilde French: – Jeg angrer på at jeg ikke kjøpte Joshua fri". nrk.no.