A police car.

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ClÈment Follain / 20 Minutes

A 36-year-old athletics trainer from Béziers suspected of raping and sexually assaulting young sportswomen, some of whom were minors, whom he supervised, was indicted and imprisoned on September 30, announced on Sunday the prosecutor of the Republic.

In total, six young girls accuse him - one who lodged a complaint in February, and five others subsequently identified by the investigators, specifies the prosecutor of Béziers Raphaël Balland: "only one lodged a complaint for rape, two others affirming that the relations were consented to and the other three declaring to have suffered against their will "only" sexual touching, but without penetration, "writes the magistrate in a press release.

Up to 20 years of criminal imprisonment

"During his police custody, then before the investigating magistrate, he only partially acknowledged the facts of which the young girls accused him, admitting however that he had had consensual sexual relations with some of them" , he adds.

The man, who was a sports trainer in an athletics club, notably in Agde, Béziers and Vendres, is being prosecuted for "rape committed on a minor", "sexual assault on minors under 15 years old", "sexual assault on minors over 15 years old "," sexual assault on minors over 15 years old "," corruption of minors over 15 years old ", and" sexual proposals made to minors under 15 years old by a major using a electronic means of communication followed by a meeting, ”explains Raphaël Balland.

He faces twenty years of criminal imprisonment.

More and more potential victims discovered

In February 2018, a 23-year-old young woman lodged a complaint at the Béziers police station against her former athletics trainer, leading to the opening of an investigation: “She claimed that he had made her proposals of a sexual nature by messaging then that he had imposed touching of a sexual nature on her, when she was between 13 and 16 years old ”, indicates the press release of the prosecutor.

By hearing other young girls trained by the same man, the investigators then discovered "five other young girls potentially victims of sexual abuse by this trainer when they were between 14 and 18 years old" .

Miscellaneous

Bayonne: A young woman files a complaint for sexual assault against a rugby player from Rowing

Paris

Sexual violence: Accused of multiple rapes, a Parisian street artist indicted and imprisoned

  • Athletics

  • Pedophilia

  • Rape

  • Justice

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