French authorities charge ex-teacher over alleged abuse of 89 minors
French prosecutors have filed charges against a 79-year-old former teacher accused of aggravated rape and sexual assault involving 89 minors in multiple countries over a period stretching more than five decades.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Grenoble, southeastern France, prosecutor Etienne Manteaux said the suspect was formally indicted in 2024 for offences allegedly committed between 1967 and 2022. He explained that investigators decided to publicise the case in order to alert the public and potentially encourage new witnesses or victims to step forward.
In an unusual move, authorities named the suspect as Jacques Leveugle, born in 1946 in Annecy, near Grenoble. He has been in custody since his indictment last year.
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According to the prosecution, the alleged crimes occurred in a number of countries where Leveugle worked over the years, including Germany, Switzerland, Morocco, Niger, Algeria, the Philippines, India, Colombia and France’s overseas territory of New Caledonia. During that time, he reportedly served as a freelance French teacher and also worked as a speleology instructor, training people in cave exploration.
Manteaux said investigators were able to estimate the number of alleged victims after discovering detailed documents stored on a USB drive belonging to the suspect. The files, compiled into about 15 volumes, allegedly recorded sexual encounters with minors aged between 13 and 17.
The device was reportedly found by the suspect’s nephew, who had begun questioning aspects of his uncle’s personal life, prosecutors said.
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During the probe, Manteaux added, Leveugle also admitted to killing two relatives decades ago. He allegedly suffocated his terminally ill mother with a pillow in the 1970s and later killed a 92-year-old aunt in similar circumstances in the 1990s. In personal writings described by investigators as memoirs, the suspect is said to have acknowledged responsibility for “killing two people.”
Authorities say the investigation is ongoing.
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