Trial of French man accused of rape and sexual assault of minors begins in Malaysia

Europe1 .fr with AFP/Photo credits: XOSE BOUZAS / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 11:19 am, November 03, 2023

With his brown hair slicked back, thin glasses on his pasty face, and a brown sweater, Jean-Christophe Quenot, 56, is charged with six rapes and 19 sexual assaults on Malaysian boys aged 10 to 17 between January 2014 and October 2017. He is only on trial for these acts, even though he is suspected of having sexually abused at least fifty minors in several countries (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia) over a period of thirty years.

The French justice system wanted to 'split' the various cases in which he is involved." Particularly heavy investigations, both because of the number of sexual abuses spread over time, and international investigations (...), must continue with regard to the other charges of indictment," the investigators said.

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Jean-Christophe Quenot's lawyers have challenged what they call a "procedural shenanigans", asking for the trial to be postponed so that their client can be tried once and for all. The departmental criminal court, presided over by Laurent Raviot, rejected the request for referral.

Fifty children between 1990 and 2019

The French as a foreign language teacher, who moved to Singapore in the early 1990s, is suspected of abusing at least 1990 children between 2019 and 2019. He was arrested in February 14 by Thai police while in a Bangkok hotel room with two <>-year-old boys. The police also found a camera and a computer with child pornography.

He was released after a few days after posting bail of 300,000 baht (about 8,000 euros) in cash. Armed 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.

While in police custody, he admitted to paying young boys to fulfill his fantasies. "There are young boys who are open to paid sex because they are poor and need pocket money," he said. When asked about the films he made during his lovemaking, he assured that "kids like to play 'porn-star' when they have sex with me".

More than 174,000 photos and videos depicting him abusing children were seized by investigators. After testimony from experts and investigators, the court planned to question him on Monday. The closing arguments and verdict are expected on Tuesday.