89 minor victims, 9 countries & 5 decades: Jacques Leveugle, French paedophile in custody for rape and sexual assault

Leveugle called himself a "gentleman boy-lover" and targeted male teens aged 13 to 17.

While the Epstein case continues to attract international media attention, a separate case of another paedophile, who is facing charges of raping minors and sexually assaulting them made headlines.

Who is Jacques Leveugle?

He is identified as Jacques Leveugle, born in 1946 in Annecy, France. In a disturbing reality, he is reported to have raped 89 minors across nine countries since the 1960s. The list of nations included India.

The identity of the individual was disclosed by French prosecutor Étienne Manteaux, who urged the media in the southeastern city of Grenoble to publicise the case of this man.

He has called on additional witnesses and victims to come forward and testify in what is described as a mass abuse case stretching for over five decades across geographical boundaries.

"Gentleman boy-lover"

Manteaux mentioned that Leveugle called himself a "gentleman boy-lover" and targeted male teenagers aged 13 to 17. Earlier, the accused of abusing minors had also confessed to killing his terminally ill mother and his elderly aunt.

Leveugle, the 79-year-old former teacher, has been in custody since his indictment in 2024.

9 countries

Between 1967 and 2022, the alleged offences against minors were committed in India, Germany, Switzerland, Morocco, Niger, Algeria, the Philippines, Colombia, and the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, the prosecutor told reporters.

USB Drive

It was only in 2022 that the authorities were alerted about the case when the Leveugle's nephew, who had "suspicions" about his uncle's actions, submitted USB keys belonging to the suspect.

Now, the investigators have reviewed the writings, which reportedly They "contain 15 tomes of very dense material." Notably, around 150 people have been interviewed to date but only two have decided to bring a civil action. Investigators have identified 89 victims to date, Manteaux was quoted in an AFP report.