Latest news French judiciary seeks witnesses after abuse accusation
A 79-year-old Frenchman has been charged with the alleged sexual assault of 89 minors in France and other countries. Some of the acts were committed in Switzerland, the Grenoble public prosecutor's office announced.
10.02.2026, 13:24
10.02.2026, 15:23
SDA
The number of victims was determined on the basis of recordings that the 79-year-old had saved on a USB stick. They described sexual acts with minors between the ages of 13 and 17, as the Grenoble public prosecutor Etienne Manteaux explained to the media on Tuesday.
In addition to France and Switzerland, the acts are said to have been committed in Germany, Morocco, Niger, Algeria, the Philippines, India, Colombia and New Caledonia, where the man worked as an educator.
The public prosecutor said that wherever the man had been employed as a teacher or educator, he had had sexual contact with minors. The 89 cases spanned a period of 55 years between 1967 and 2022.
Treacherous USB stick
The USB stick was discovered by the man's nephew, who "asked questions about his uncle's love and sex life", according to the public prosecutor. It was extensive material. The public prosecutor called on witnesses to come forward "so that other possible victims can come forward".
During questioning, the man also admitted that he had suffocated his mother, who was suffering from terminal cancer, in 1970. He also killed his 92-year-old aunt in the same way in 1990.
When asked, the Federal Office of Justice told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Tuesday that it had not yet received a request for legal assistance from the French authorities.
According to the French justice system, the man was accused of sexual assault and rape and taken into custody as a precautionary measure in 2024. He was subsequently released on conditional release. Because he did not comply with the conditions, he was taken into custody again in April 2025.
