French authorities have launched a massive investigation into allegations of widespread sexual abuse and murder by a 79-year-old former educator, Jacques Leveugle. Born in 1946, Leveugle was charged on Tuesday with rape and sexual assault of at least 89 minors over the course of several decades.
According to prosecutor Etienne Manteaux, Leveugle's crimes spanned nine countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Morocco, Niger, Algeria, the Philippines, India, Colombia, and New Caledonia. The suspect worked as a freelance teacher, instructor, and tutor in these locations, often targeting young people.
In an unusual move, French authorities have publicly named Leveugle, citing their desire to enable potential victims to come forward with information about their abuse. When asked why they did not reveal the suspect's identity during his initial investigation, Manteaux stated that it was a "somewhat unusual case" and the authorities wanted to first verify the facts.
Leveugle has been in custody since his indictment in 2024 and is accused of committing sexual crimes against minors between 1967 and 2022. His alleged victims range in age from 13 to 17, according to writings compiled on a USB drive discovered by his nephew.
In addition to the allegations of sexual abuse, Leveugle has also confessed to killing his terminally ill mother with a pillow in the 1970s and his 92-year-old aunt, who had begged him not to go. This separate murder investigation is ongoing.
The case has sparked widespread outrage among victims' rights advocates, who say it highlights systemic flaws that allowed Leveugle to repeatedly commit crimes. A similar case involving retired doctor Joel Le Scouarnec last year highlighted the need for improved child protection systems and highlighted the failures of authorities to prevent such abuse.
Manteaux warned that Leveugle's actions were motivated by a desire to inflict harm on others, stating that he "justifies his actions by saying that he would like someone to do the same for him if he found himself in this end-of-life situation."
According to prosecutor Etienne Manteaux, Leveugle's crimes spanned nine countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Morocco, Niger, Algeria, the Philippines, India, Colombia, and New Caledonia. The suspect worked as a freelance teacher, instructor, and tutor in these locations, often targeting young people.
In an unusual move, French authorities have publicly named Leveugle, citing their desire to enable potential victims to come forward with information about their abuse. When asked why they did not reveal the suspect's identity during his initial investigation, Manteaux stated that it was a "somewhat unusual case" and the authorities wanted to first verify the facts.
Leveugle has been in custody since his indictment in 2024 and is accused of committing sexual crimes against minors between 1967 and 2022. His alleged victims range in age from 13 to 17, according to writings compiled on a USB drive discovered by his nephew.
In addition to the allegations of sexual abuse, Leveugle has also confessed to killing his terminally ill mother with a pillow in the 1970s and his 92-year-old aunt, who had begged him not to go. This separate murder investigation is ongoing.
The case has sparked widespread outrage among victims' rights advocates, who say it highlights systemic flaws that allowed Leveugle to repeatedly commit crimes. A similar case involving retired doctor Joel Le Scouarnec last year highlighted the need for improved child protection systems and highlighted the failures of authorities to prevent such abuse.
Manteaux warned that Leveugle's actions were motivated by a desire to inflict harm on others, stating that he "justifies his actions by saying that he would like someone to do the same for him if he found himself in this end-of-life situation."
just read about this 79 year old dude Jacques Leveugle who's been accused of super serious crimes like rape and murder... it's like, how did nobody know? I mean, he was working as a freelance teacher in all these different countries, you'd think someone would've caught on by now. 
but at the same time, I guess it's better than not knowing what happened.
it's just so sad.
and we saw the most stunning waterfall 
. It was so blue and clear, it looked like a painting or something! I'm still on a nature high and can't stop thinking about how beautiful the world is. Did you know that there's this one type of mushroom that turns into a living tree? 
It's called a mycorrhizal fungus and it's literally just growing out of the ground like a tiny little forest. I mean, what even is that?! 
Anyway, back to Leveugle... yeah, this case is super disturbing but also makes me think about how we can prevent these kinds of situations from happening in the first place? 
Leveugle's case is literally too much to handle, 89 minors and he's just getting started 
I mean, who does that? And the fact that he confessed to killing his aunt and mom is just on another level 
it might've made some victims feel empowered to come forward, but at the same time it's still super scary for them. We need to make sure these kids get the justice they deserve ASAP 
. I mean, 79? That's insane. You'd think with age comes wisdom, but clearly not in this case. The fact that he was able to get away with it for so long is just unbelievable. And the countries he worked in? So many different places, targeting kids... it's like a twisted game of predator and prey 
.
. And now that his name has been publicly released, it'll hopefully help some victims come forward and get the justice they deserve 
. We need to do better, you know? Improve those child protection systems so something like this never happens again 
.
i mean i'm not even a fan of coffee but the way they mix the green tea with steamed milk is pure magic 
anyway back to this creepy guy jacques leveugle... 79 years old? that's just insane 
i mean i get that sometimes we all need a scapegoat but not literally killing ppl over it 
And, sorry to ask, but what's with the USB drive thingy? Isnt that kinda...private info? 
Oh, and I read somewhere that he killed his aunt too...like, why would someone do that to their own family member? 
But at the same time... I don't know, maybe they're right and it's necessary for justice or whatever 
. Wait, no, scratch that, it's actually kinda genius 
, because now we know exactly what kind of sick stuff he was into 
.
This case is absolutely horrific and it makes my blood boil. The fact that Leveugle was able to evade justice for so long and committed such heinous crimes against innocent children is just devastating. I mean, how could someone do this to kids? 
