By Necva Tastan Sevinc
ISTANBUL (AA) - Prosecutors in France’s southern city of Grenoble have appealed for witnesses in a child sex abuse case involving a 79-year-old man suspected of having at least 89 victims over more than four decades in multiple countries, French media reported.
Grenoble prosecutor Etienne Manteaux said on Tuesday the suspect, who has been in custody for two years, is accused of raping and sexually assaulting minors, including children under 15, after investigators identified alleged victims in eight countries across four continents: Colombia, Algeria, Morocco, Niger, Switzerland, Germany, the Philippines, India, and France’s overseas territory of New Caledonia.
Authorities began investigating after the man’s nephew alerted police, reportedly discovering USB drives at the suspect’s home in Vizille, southeastern France, containing extensive written accounts and other material that investigators later used to trace victims, some identified only by first names, Radio France reported.
According to reports, the suspect admitted meeting the boys during his travels while working part-time as a teacher and sports instructor, but sought to justify his conduct, describing it as “education” and invoking references to ancient Greece.
Prosecutors said the appeal aims to identify additional victims, including those not yet located, while noting that some alleged offenses may be barred by the statute of limitations.
Investigators also determined that the suspect is linked to two killings within his family, with reports saying he confessed to smothering his terminally ill mother in 1974 and his elderly aunt in 1992, claiming “altruistic” motives.