School assistant jailed for sexually assaulting 9 children in first sentence since paedophile epidemic rocked France

A SCHOOL assistant has been jailed for sexually assaulting nine children aged five to 10 in Paris. Michael M., 39, will spend five years in prison, one of which to be served under an electronic bracelet – the first custodial sentence handed down by the courts since the paedophile epidemic rocked France. Police at the gates of the courthouse entrance during the trial of an after-school activity leader Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Nursery School Alphonse Baudin in Paris, where abuse was reported Credit: Nathan Laine His crimes unravelled after a six-year-old girl told her mother in January 2024 that he “touched her buttocks” twice. Two other children further testified that he put their hands in his pocket of his trousers. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! At a hearing on August 31, Michael M admitted the abuse, but claimed he did not remember them. “That doesn’t tell me anything at all (…),” he told the court. “If they said it, it must have happened,” Colleagues also testified, describing “inappropriate gestures on his part,” BFMTV reported. “If he believed he was unaware of any sexual attraction to children, this assertion could be called into question by the investigations carried out by investigators, which highlighted exchanges by the person concerned on a discussion forum of a paedopornographic nature,” said President Thierry Donard when delivering the decision. During his trial, the defendant, wearing a surgical mask, apologised for his crimes in a monotone voice. “I am sorry for everything I have done, I ask forgiveness from all the victims and their families. I deeply regret everything that has happened,” he said. Most read in The Sun For months, France has been rocked by a child abuse scandal as assistants at dozens of state nursery and primary schools are being investigated for violence, sexual assault and rape. The conviction of Michael M comes on the same day as former mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, testified before the Senate’s inquiry commission that is investigating the scandal. During her hearing, she acknowledging to major shortcomings within the City, referring to “a collective failure.” Since the beginning of the year, 132 activity leaders have been suspended, including 52 for suspected sexual or sexist violence. Parents’ groups have pointed to the lack of robust background checks for assistant jobs. At most, assistants need a basic child management certificate. Pressure to recruit at several schools is so great that even that is not needed. In May, Florian Lastelle, a lawyer for three families in Paris who filed police complaints over the alleged abuse of their children, described what was happening as a “massive scandal”. He said: “The state school system is a source of pride in this country, but unfortunately in France today it’s not possible to say that the public service guarantees children’s safety.” Nursery school is mandatory in the country from the age of three.