This Friday, November 3, a trial begins in the Paris Criminal Court for a former French teacher accused of rape and sexual assault on minors in Malaysia. Jean-Christophe Quenot, 56 years old, is suspected of having committed sexual abuses on at least fifty minors in several countries (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia) over a period of thirty years. He is being tried for 6 rapes and 19 sexual assaults on Malaysian boys aged 10 to 17 between January 2014 and October 2017.
The French justice system has decided to separate the different cases in which he is involved. “The particularly extensive investigation into the numerous sexual abuses over time and the international investigations must continue regarding the other charges,” explained the investigators. Mr. Quenot’s lawyers have contested what they call a “procedural trickery,” requesting a postponement of the trial so that their client can be tried once and for all. The Criminal Court, presided over by Laurent Raviot, rejected this request for a postponement.
Arrested in Thailand, he had illegally left the country
The French as a Foreign Language teacher, who was living in Singapore in the early 1990s, is suspected of having abused at least fifty children between 1990 and 2019. He was arrested in February 2019 by the Thai police while in a hotel room in Bangkok with two 14-year-old boys. Police officers also found a camera and a computer with child pornography content.
Jean-Christophe Quenot was released a few days later after paying a bail of 300,000 baht (approximately 8,000 euros) in cash. With his French passport, he then managed to illegally leave Thailand via Malaysia to reach France. He was finally arrested at his family home in Besançon on March 30, 2019.
During his interrogation, he admitted to paying young boys to fulfill his fantasies. “We find young boys open to paid sexual relationships because they are poor and need pocket money,” he explained. When asked about the films he made during his sexual encounters, he claimed that “the kids like to play porn star when they have sexual relationships with me”.
More than 174,000 photos and videos depicting him abusing children were seized by the investigators. After the testimonies of experts and investigators, the court plans to question him on Monday, November 6. The requisitions and the verdict are expected the following day.
Receive all the latest news directly in your inbox!
From Monday to Friday, receive every morning the essential news: politics, economy, society, sports…
Editor’s recommendation: dmp.
