A 55-year-old Frenchman suspected of commissioning online pedophile crimes in Colombia has been arrested and charged in France, the Paris prosecutor's office said on Saturday.
The suspect was charged this week with complicity in human trafficking involving minors under the age of 15 who had been raped, rape and sexual assault of minors including incestuous acts, as well as acquisition, possession and consultation of pornographic images of minors.
He was remanded in custody.
The prosecutor's office said it worked closely with Colombian authorities and that the operation led to the simultaneous arrests of the suspect, local perpetrators and middlemen – the so-called money runners.
Several victims were also identified and sheltered.
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Up to 600 rapes for €30,000
Investigations revealed that the suspect had transferred more than €30,000 to several people in Colombia in exchange for images of young children being sexually abused, the prosecutor's office said. Weapons were also found at the individual’s home.
According to a source close to the case, confirming local media reports, the suspect is a garage owner from the Lille region in northern France. He reportedly took out a loan to pay for between 500 to 600 rapes over a four-year period. They involved children and adolescents from the same Colombian family.
Online pedophile crime, also known as livestreaming, involves commissioning sexual assaults and rapes of minors in other countries from one’s own country, generally in return for payment from the relatives of the victims, who are directly involved. The perpetrators then watch these videos live.
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Most victims under ten
Livestreaming involves "the exploitation of poverty", Noémie Metzger, from the Paris public prosecutor's office, told franceinfo public radio. "We have families who are prepared to do anything, including rape, sometimes within the family circle, to get money", she said.
"The money, in each case, will enable them to eat, find somewhere to live and meet their basic needs," she noted. "Most of the victims are under the age of 10 and live in very unstable families in Colombia, as in this case, but also in the Philippines and Madagascar."
In a bid to curb the phenomenon, the authorities are counting on heavy penalties for people who sponsor live streaming. Those who commission the crimes are considered accomplices to the rape of their young victims, and face up to 20 years in prison.
(with newswires)
