French police have issued a rare international appeal for victims and witnesses in the case of a 79-year-old former teacher accused of raping and sexually assaulting 89 children across five continents from the 1960s until 2022. Jacques Leveugle, who has been in pre-trial detention in France since April 2025, is alleged to have targeted boys aged 13 to 17 while working as a tutor, teacher, or sports monitor in numerous countries.
Prosecutor Étienne Manteaux said Leveugle had also confessed to killing his terminally ill mother with a pillow in the 1970s, and his elderly aunt in the 1990s. The suspect reportedly told investigators he wanted someone to do the same for him if he were in a similar end-of-life situation. In his digital 'memoir', Leveugle wrote that he had 'killed two people'.
The investigation began after a nephew found a USB drive containing 15 volumes of Leveugle's writings, which detailed his alleged crimes. Authorities used this material to identify 89 alleged victims, though they believe there may be more. Leveugle worked in Germany, Switzerland, Morocco, Niger, Algeria, the Philippines, India, Colombia, and New Caledonia, as well as in France.
Manteaux described Leveugle as a 'textbook example' of a serial sexual offender, noting that he appeared cultured and charismatic, and groomed his victims. Despite lacking formal teaching qualifications, Leveugle worked as an educator from the 1960s, including with young offenders in Germany and in a children's home in Bogotá, Colombia.
French police are urging potential victims or witnesses in the countries where Leveugle lived to come forward, as the investigation is expected to close in 2026 to allow for a trial within a reasonable timeframe. Leveugle was placed under formal investigation in February 2024 for aggravated rape and sexual assault of minors.
