The 51-year-old man, already convicted of similar acts in 2005, is suspected of assaulting 24 minors in Nepal and Cambodia while he was leading an association there to educate street children.
Under the guise of humanitarian aid in Asia, the man is accused of having attacked the minors he was supposed to help.
Philippe Gérard, a 51-year-old Frenchman, was tried on Tuesday in Paris by the criminal court for sexual violence against 24 minors committed between 2011 and 2015, while he had founded an association and worked in Nepal and Cambodia.
>>
Find all the newspapers of the editorial staff of Europe 1 in replay and podcast here
In front of the court, Philippe Gérard still displayed the casual look of the adventurer: long blond hair collected in a bun, beard provided, checked shirt and jeans.
A little slumped on the bar, this 51-year-old Frenchman showed no emotion when the president listed the first names of the 15 Nepalese whom he is suspected of having sexually assaulted between 2011 and 2014.
The magistrate showed the photos of the little boys aged 6 to 14 to her assessors.
At the time, the defendant ran an association to educate street children.
He lived in the hotel with them and acted as "uncle", referent, figure of authority.
He had left Nepal after several reports
"Your supposedly sincere desire to help children, one wonders if it is not rather intended to satisfy your desire for sexual relations with children," the judge questioned.
But the defendant does not budge: "When I left Nepal, we had schooled 80 children", he replied.
He was forced to admit touching some little boys but didn't recognize everything.
"The first time, it was in the shower ... It only lasted 10 seconds", justified Philippe Gérard.
The magistrate then accused him of drowning the fish, especially since when the French had left Nepal in disaster at the end of 2014, when he was the subject of several reports, it was to start again immediately in an orphanage in Cambodia, with nine small victims identified in two months. Philippe Gérard is now facing 20 years in prison. He had already been convicted of similar facts in 2005.