Pippa Middleton's lawyer beau points handgun at photographers in Paris as 'joke'.

[alexmst]

Lawyer is an ass: Pippa's gun mate is revealed as a wealthy barrister

THE smirking friend of Pippa Middleton who waved a gun at a photographer in a Paris street is a wealthy barrister.

French criminal lawyer Romain Rabillard, 36, was caught on camera brandishing what looked like a pistol as he was driving Pippa, 27, to catch the Eurostar home to London on Saturday after a fancy-dress party.

Ballistics experts who have studied the pictures said the weapon looked similar to a Sig Sauer P226 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

Rabillard faces up to seven years behind bars if it is proven the gun is real. Even if it is fake he could get two years.

Rabillard went into hiding when the pictures, which rocked the Royal Family, emerged on Monday.

Sources said he was not at his desk at American law firm Shearman and Sterling on the Champs-Elysees yesterday. (I'm sure his firm is thrilled about this - not)

The dashing Frenchman rents a £2,000-a-month penthouse near his offices and is frequently seen driving his Audi convertible around the city with a different girl in the passenger seat.

He attends friends’ parties in Paris, on the French Riviera and in the Alps. In recent publicity photographs he is shown dressed as a gigolo in dark glasses and chest wig.

“Romain is a very hard-working lawyer, but he absolutely loves to let his hair down,” said a close friend in Paris. “Calling him a wild man would be about right!”

Rabillard’s identity emerged as police in Paris said they were ordered to “downscale” the inquiry following “an intervention from London”.

Yesterday they said the case was “low priority” – prompting accusations of a cover-up.

“If the suspects involved were ordinary kids from the estates they would have been brought in by now,” said one officer.

“Lots of meetings have taken place to discuss the sensitivity of the issue.”

France is currently on heightened security alert after Islamist gunman Mohammed Merah killed seven people in the Toulouse massacre.

The photographer the gun was pointed at said he thought it was a fake gun so he wasn't concerned.

 

[Ceiling Cat]

Lawyer points gun at photographer in public.

Just going by Canadian law, which I imagine would not be greatly different than French law. I would imagine he would be charged with menacing with a firearm or menacing with an imitation of a firearm. Being that he is a lawyer he would be called to the Barreau de France to explain his actions. In short he is in deep doo doo!

 

[Aardvark154]

M. Rabillard, should know better particularly if he specializes in the Criminal Law.

As to Miss Middleton, even though the Code Pénal is strange, I find it difficult to believe that this has any legs. She was a passenger in a car in which someone did something stupid, and since he conduct is nowhere near being that of an accomplice. . . . Frankly considering the conduct of the Paparazzi in Paris in the past, one would think that les flics would be spending some time on their conduct as well.

 

[GG2]

Wiki says that Pippa Middleton was born in 1983 but she looks like she's in her 40s

 

[larry]

That little show-off stunt will cost him dearly. And Pippa! Just another case of women choosing their male companions poorly.

 

[night ride]

Who cares about the idiot boyfriend. I was just hoping there would be some nice posterior shots of Pippa which sadly there aren't.

 

[Possum Trot]

That little show-off stunt will cost him dearly. And Pippa! Just another case of women choosing their male companions poorly.

I know sad that she would stoop as low as seeing a lawyer

 

[mandrill]

The charge is total crap. Everybody in the shot already knows the gun is fake and everybody - including Pippa - is laughing. It's a joke. Maybe in poor taste, but nevertheless a joke.

Move on, folks.

 

[james t kirk]

The charge is total crap. Everybody in the shot already knows the gun is fake and everybody - including Pippa - is laughing. It's a joke. Maybe in poor taste, but nevertheless a joke.

Move on, folks.

Agreed.

It could be a squirt gun for all we know (and care).

The paparazzi should all be charged with harassment. I've seen on TV how agressive they can be. Hell, they put into motion events that killed Diana and not one of them was ever charged.

The guy got carried away, he wasn't thinking, but I can't see them throwing him in the bucket for 2 years over this. That's just plain stupid. He probably pays a fortune in taxes, so you lose that income AND have to pay to put him into the system. Doesn't make sense.