Paris Trial Opens for School Assistant Accused of Assaulting Nine Children

A public trial opened Tuesday in Paris of a school assistant accused of sexually assaulting nine children at a nursery school. The 36-year-old defendant, who has not been publicly identified, faces charges covering incidents that occurred between August 2024 and April 2025.

Parents of the children agreed to hold the proceedings in public, following the example of Gisèle Pelicot's trial. In France, trials involving minors are normally closed to the public.

The case surfaced in April 2025 after several children told their parents they had been sexually abused. The defendant is accused of assaulting the children while supervising them in bathrooms, during lunch breaks, and in after-school care. He has denied the charges.

The children were between 3 and 5 years old at the time of the alleged incidents and are not required to attend the trial. A judge has read their testimonies to investigators. The defendant is also accused of sexually harassing two co-workers and sexually assaulting one of them.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said last week that investigations were underway at 84 nursery schools, about 20 elementary schools, and about 10 daycare centers in the capital. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said 78 school and after-school staff members have been suspended in the city since the beginning of 2026, including 31 over suspicions of sexual violence.

Grégoire stated that he had unveiled a 20 million euro plan to address what he described as major dysfunction in the city's school supervision system. He pledged to immediately suspend any school employee suspected of abusing children. Parents' groups called for greater attention to child abuse cases.

Some parents said they were following Pelicot's motto that shame must change sides to abusers, not victims. An initial warning raised by a mother months earlier was apparently ignored by the school, according to families. The defendant faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.