French Prosecutor Launches Public Appeal in Vast Child Abuse Investigation
French judicial authorities have taken the extraordinary step of publicly identifying a 79-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting 89 minors over a period spanning more than five decades. Grenoble prosecutor Étienne Manteaux revealed the suspect's identity in an effort to locate additional victims in what he described as an unusually extensive case that crosses international borders.
Decades of Alleged Abuse Documented in Digital 'Memoir'
The case against Jacques Leveugle, who has been held in pretrial detention since April 2025, centers on what investigators describe as a digital "memoir" discovered on a USB drive. According to prosecutors, the suspect compiled fifteen volumes of writings that enabled authorities to identify eighty-nine alleged victims—all boys aged between thirteen and seventeen at the time of the alleged assaults, which occurred from 1967 through 2022.
"This name must be known because the goal is to allow possible victims to come forward," Manteaux stated during a Tuesday news conference, explaining his unusual decision to publicize the identity of someone under investigation. In France, individuals facing criminal probes are typically not named publicly until trial proceedings begin.
International Scope and Investigative Challenges
The alleged assaults reportedly took place across multiple continents, with investigators identifying locations in France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria, Niger, the Philippines, India, Colombia, and New Caledonia—where authorities say the suspect worked as an educator. This geographical spread has significantly complicated efforts to locate victims from incidents that occurred decades earlier.
Prosecutors initially believed they could identify all victims internally but encountered substantial obstacles. "We thought we would be able, internally, to identify all the victims," Manteaux explained. "But we realized we were up against a wall." The documents often contained incomplete identifying information, making it impossible to trace individuals after so many years without public assistance.
Parallel Investigation into Family Deaths
In a disturbing parallel development, prosecutors revealed that the suspect has acknowledged two separate killings within his family. According to Manteaux, Leveugle admitted to smothering his mother while she was in the terminal phase of cancer, and later his 92-year-old aunt under similar circumstances. Regarding his aunt, the suspect reportedly told investigators that "because he had to return to the Cévennes and she begged him not to leave, he also chose to put her to death."
Authorities have established a dedicated hotline and are urging anyone who believes they may have been victimized or who possesses relevant information to come forward. The prosecutor emphasized the urgency of the situation, citing both the suspect's advanced age and the difficulty of tracing victims across fifty-five years.
Digital Evidence Proving Crucial in French Abuse Cases
This case follows another high-profile sexual violence trial in France—the Pelicot case—where digital evidence proved similarly decisive. In both instances, investigators relied on electronic records to build their cases: recordings and files in the Pelicot matter, and the USB drive containing the suspect's writings in the current Grenoble investigation.
The French justice system continues to grapple with the implications of such sprawling abuse cases, particularly those involving digital documentation that can reveal patterns of behavior spanning generations. As authorities work to contact potential victims across multiple countries, they face the monumental task of investigating allegations that reach back to the late 1960s while ensuring contemporary legal standards are met.
