Around 80 men, including two teachers, have been arrested in France’s most extensive investigation into allegations of child abuse, according to police sources.
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The police have this week made arrests in 53 of France’s 101 ministries, Police Commissioner Quentin Bevan told the AFP news agency on Saturday evening.
The arrested men are from around 30 to over 60 years old and come from very different backgrounds. Among them, teachers, ambulance drivers and pensioners have been arrested.
Fifteen have been remanded in custody, as their cases are considered the most serious.
– There is no typical profile when it comes to sexual abuse of children, he says.
However, the investigation has been aimed specifically at professions where adults are in regular contact with children.
– Extremely violent
One of those arrested worked at a center for people with disabilities. He has previously been convicted of rape, but had been given a new identity and was thus able to come into contact with children again, says Bevan, who heads the unit that coordinated the action.
The police searches revealed “over 100,000” videos and images with abuse material on PCs and hard drives. Some of the content was “extremely violent” and included sexual acts against babies, says the police chief.
“Sexual abuse of children via the Internet is not just about loners trawling the Internet… Some have gone further and committed crimes in the real world or are about to do so,” he says.
13 imprisoned
Those arrested have admitted the facts that were put before them in police custody, but some have tried to downplay the seriousness or disclaim responsibility. Bevan also says that someone tried to destroy computer equipment with a hammer when the police turned up.
51 of those arrested have been produced before the court. 13 of these were imprisoned, but 38 are required to report. The rest have been released pending further investigation of the seized material. The Ministry of the Interior states that the investigation continues.
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Published: 10.12.23 at 00:32
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2023-12-09 23:33:07
#men #arrested #assault #France
