Pascal Payet was born on July 7, 1963, in Montpellier, France. He spent his early childhood in Montpellier before moving to Lyon. Later, he settled in Marseille. 

Pascal Payet was involved in serious crimes, including a murder during a robbery. On November 20, 1997, he took part in an attack on an armored car belonging to the Banque de France in Salon-de-Provence. This incident resulted in the death of a guard. Payet was arrested in January 1999 in Paris.

In 2005, Payet was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the robbery and murder. His sentence was confirmed during an appeal in May 2006. While imprisoned, he protested against his transfers between prisons, even going on a hunger strike. In 2007, he confessed to planning a helicopter escape from prison.

On October 12, 2001, Payet escaped from the Luynes prison with the help of a hijacked helicopter. He organized another helicopter escape on April 14, 2003, freeing three other prisoners, but they were caught shortly after.

Despite being closely monitored, he managed to escape again on July 14, 2007. A group of men hijacked a helicopter to rescue him from solitary confinement in Grasse. The escape was successful, and they landed in Brignoles before fleeing the scene.

Payet was captured on September 21, 2007, in Mataró, near Barcelona, Spain. He was brought back to France and kept in secretive custody due to security concerns. In June 2008, he received a 15-year sentence for various armed robberies and assaults against police during his time as a fugitive.

He faced more legal actions in April 2011 for his 2007 escape, which added five additional years to his sentence. His accomplices received varying sentences for their involvement in these events.