This Tuesday, November 23, the Annecy criminal court sentenced a former deputy director of the prestigious Saint-Michel college. Jean-Marie Boasso was found guilty of two sexual assaults on minors as well as of detention, consultation and capture of child pornography images. 53 years old, he received three years in prison under electronic wristband, including one with a suspended sentence. The court also forbade him to return to Haute-Savoie and to exercise a professional or voluntary activity in contact with minors.
Cameras in the showers
“For all the children concerned, this judgment is the recognition that they are indeed victims”the father of a young boy said as he left the court. The investigation opened in 2018 after the testimony of a schoolboy from Saint-Michel had led the police to discover 974 child pornography images and videos on several computers and hard drives seized from Jean-Marie Boasso. Among these photos, some were taken by the former deputy director, without the knowledge of the students, at the time of the showers in a holiday center managed by the establishment.
It is important for all victims to hear that: no, it is not normal and that it is punishable by law. “- Me Aurélie Zakar, one of the lawyers for the civil parties
Before the court, the defendant admitted to having “installed cameras in the boys’ showers”. He had also annotated salacious comments on certain clichés. “It was all virtual, not real. I didn’t hurt them.”, defended Jean Marie Boasso while recognizing “an aesthetic and intellectual attraction for young boys”. For the prosecutor who yesterday required three years in prison, the former executive of Saint-Michel “is a pedophile who does not want to follow treatment”. If in court, he recognized the possession of child pornography, he has always denied the sexual assault. According to his lawyer, “he behaved inappropriately but there is nothing to support” these accusations.
Omerta
During the trial, the civil parties pointed out the responsibility of the management of Saint-Michel. According to several parents, she knew about it and did nothing. “There have been many alerts but she has not acted.” One of the family lawyers denounces “the omerta and _the silence of the institution_“.