DR ‹ › The French justice system has recently revealed a case of staggering proportions. A 79-year-old man was charged in 2024 and remanded in custody for aggravated sexual violence and the rape of 89 minors, crimes committed over a span from 1967 to 2022, announced the Grenoble prosecutor. He also confessed to the killings of his elderly mother and aunt. Initially placed under strict judicial supervision «which he violated», he has been in pre-trial detention «since April 2025». Investigators pieced together this alarming record from writings discovered on a USB drive by a relative of the suspect, his nephew, which allegedly detailed sexual encounters with boys aged 13 to 17. Some of these acts reportedly occurred while he was employed as an educator in several countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Niger, Algeria, the Philippines, India, Colombia, New Caledonia, and Morocco. «He traveled to these different countries, and in each of these places where he settled to provide tutoring, to be a teacher, he would meet young people and have sexual relations with them.» Etienne Manteaux, Grenoble prosecutor Due to the historical nature of the incidents and the challenge of identifying all the victims, the prosecutor's office has issued a call for witnesses to encourage any potential victims or witnesses to come forward. A toll-free number and a contact address have been provided by the judicial authorities. This investigation also prompts questions about prevention and international cooperation, given that the offenses spanned five decades and multiple continents. The case reignites the debate on the networks and movements of individuals accused of sexual abuse against minors abroad, underscoring the critical need for vigilance and coordination between nations.
