A long, complex history of pedophilia has thrown an entire family into chaos. But their difficult reconstruction seems hampered by a judicial investigation which remains for the moment stalled according to the victims. What pushes Stéphanie (the first name has been changed) to get out of her silence today.
"When we spoke to the police, we had the impression that my son was the culprit, we were entitled to reproaches because he had gone to dating sites, says the mother. For eight months, we have had no news from the investigators. They did not even ask to see the photos, to study my son's phone or computer to analyze them and try to go back up the network without delay. "
This mother who lives in a wealthy town of Val-de-Marne now fears for the safety of her children with the deconfinement. Her son Théo (the first name has been changed) , 14, was again the victim last month of threats by telephone, from strangers likely belonging to the pedophile network who subjected this teen to unprotected sexual acts and filmed in 2019.
"I just have to click on send and your photos will land on your parents' mailbox"
Stéphanie therefore again filed a complaint, a month ago, this time for harassment. "These people know where we live, we cannot know what can happen when we are not there," she worries.
And the texts received by Theo leave little room for doubt about the intentions of this unknown interlocutor: "I am the biggest nightmare of your life. Dude, I just have to click send and your photos will land on your parents' mailbox. And it will not be only them who will see them. It's just the first step. "Théo replies that he is only" 14 years old, not even the sexual majority "and continues:" What you do is blackmail. "
This does not discourage the stranger who gives a lot of private information about Theo before engaging in previous meetings that the victim has not honored. "I'm not threatening you, I'm warning you." You took too many guys for idiots and several of them want to get fucked up and not just sexually. I am the only barrier between them and you. "
Complaint of rape of 10 years after reportedly closed
"Given the evidence, I am quite surprised by the lack of eagerness of the investigators in this case", supports Me. Cécile Miceli, the victims' lawyer. But since 2017, this family has learned to deal with justice. Their life changed dramatically the previous winter, when Théo, then 10 years old, left for a stay with his Catholic choir. "He didn't tell us everything right away, but on the way back, his behavior had changed: he was filthy, provocative," recalls his mother who ends up discovering the drama of his son through his discussions on his phone.
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During this trip, the child was allegedly raped by a young adult, one night, in one of the foster families. A complaint is filed. It will be transferred to the parquet of Bonneville (Haute-Savoie) where the places would have occurred. She has just been classified without follow-up "lack of evidence", according to the police.
"The investigations are just a few pages long," reports the family's lawyer. "All the children present were not heard, and those who were, it was by phone only," sighs Stéphanie. To make matters worse, Théo also changed versions several times. "Because it was blocking and to protect me, I was fragile at the time," says the mother.
As a teenager, he searches for answers on gay sites
The psychological follow-up of Theo and the rest of the family begins. After a few months, the practitioner ensures that the child is structured, but speaks of a "possible return of the problems at the time of adolescence". This will be the case… In search of answers about his life and his sexuality, Théo frequents gay dating sites.
On Ganym.net, "the social network of LGBT teens and young people (gay, gay, bi and lesbian) aged 13 to 20", adults can talk to tweens on a forum. Théo asked questions about "rape" and the reasons for his homosexuality. He crosses paths with a mature man, with whom child pornography photos are exchanged.
This time, a complaint for corruption of a minor is filed. After a quick investigation and by going back on the connections of this interlocutor, the police of Val-de-Marne is seized for the benefit of the parquet floor of Strasbourg (Alsace) where the adult resides. This file is still in progress.
But the nightmare does not end there. In spring 2019, still on the Ganym site and then on Grindr, a sort of gay Tinder, Theo enters into contact with other adults who advise him, pretend to explain to him who he is, and seduce him. And organize meetings. On several occasions, they came to pick him up from his home to take him to rooms a few minutes from his home. By reminding him that they have compromising photos and videos, they invite him to make himself available again.
"He probably needed to put himself in danger, to destroy himself"
Last September, the child wrote a letter in which he confided his ordeal. His mother pushes the investigations and discovers emails and exchanges with his attackers. "On some files, we see four adults with my son, I could not watch the video until the end, I felt unwell," says Stéphanie.
Some are young adults, others less. And according to the child, there would have been several other partners, during other meetings. "However, we watched him a lot, if he had to go to the museum, I asked him to show me the tickets, I checked his Internet connections, we did everything to protect him ... But he probably needed to put himself in danger , to self-destruct, on the sites he said he felt dirty ", resumes the mother with reddened eyes.
The family immediately returned to file a third complaint, for rape of pedophiles in a meeting. “We are still waiting for us to come and collect all the evidence, impatient Théo's family. There is a fear that adults will change their phone number, email address, or erase many things. "
Prosecutor's office plans to hear mother and son
The new threats arriving on the couriers during the confinement completed convincing Stéphanie to return to file a fourth complaint, on April 24, this time for harassment. One way to try to advance the investigation.
"We have sometimes seen a man on a scooter prowling near our home, this may have nothing to do with it, but we fear for our safety and despite our reminders, I have had no response from the police for eight months, "she says.
For its part, the Créteil public prosecutor's office specifies that it is "not competent for the old complaints which were redirected to the public prosecutor's offices in Strasbourg and Bonneville where the events took place or where the alleged perpetrators come from. "
"For the most recent case of rape in a meeting, we are not yet in possession of the photos or videos, but in September 2019 when the complaint was filed, the family had not recovered everything, it says at the prosecutor's office. And we plan to audition the mother of the victim in the next few days. We also plan to hear the child when he can speak to us. But there was no absolute urgency in this matter and the period of confinement did the rest. "
A source close to the investigation adds that "the family had a therapeutic and psychological work to do before being heard. This is why there was no rush to audition them. "
