French Prosecutors Seek More Testimony in Gang Abuse Case
French prosecutors announced on Tuesday that they are looking for additional testimonies in a widespread abuse case involving nine countries. This follows the indictment of a 79-year-old former teacher, who is accused of raping and sexually assaulting 89 minors over several decades since the 1960s.
During a press conference in Grenoble, prosecutor Etienne Mantoux discussed the disturbing case of the ex-educator who has also admitted to killing his terminally ill mother and elderly aunt.
In a notable step, authorities named the suspect as Jacques Leveugre, born in 1946 in Annecy, a town in the Alps roughly an hour from Grenoble. “This name should be known because we want potential victims to come forward,” the prosecutor stated.
When asked about the delay in disclosure regarding Leveugre’s investigation, Mantoux explained, “This is a somewhat unusual case, and we first wanted to confirm the truth of the facts.” He emphasized the importance of encouraging victims, especially those who may feel unable to come forward or remain anonymous, to step up.
Leveugre has been in custody since his indictment in 2024, suspected of committing sex crimes against minors from 1967 to 2022. In a related case, a French court sentenced former doctor Joel Le Scarnec to 20 years in prison last May after he admitted to sexually abusing or raping 298 patients from 1989 to 2014, with over 250 of the victims being under 15.
Advocates for child rights have pointed out that these cases reveal systemic issues that allowed such repeated offenses to occur.
Authorities revealed that Leveugre worked as a freelance teacher and instructor across various countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Morocco, Niger, Algeria, the Philippines, India, Colombia, and the French territory of New Caledonia, where he allegedly targeted minors. His roles included a speleology lecturer and a French teacher.
The number of victims was uncovered from documents he had stored on a USB drive, which indicated “sexual relationships” with minors aged between 13 and 17. The USB drive was found by his nephew, who was probing into his uncle’s personal life.
Mantoux noted that the drive contained 15 books filled with detailed content, and investigators will carefully analyze these works to identify the 89 victims.
Additionally, during interrogation, Leveugre confessed to suffocating his mother, who was suffering from terminal cancer, with a pillow in the 1970s, as well as killing his 92-year-old aunt in the 1990s. The prosecutor mentioned how his aunt, who pleaded for him to stay, ended up being suffocated while she slept.
Mantoux stated that Leveugre had documented in his “memoirs” his acts of murder, which led to the initiation of another murder investigation. The suspect supposedly rationalized his actions by claiming that if he were in a similar situation, he would want someone to do the same for him.
