For more than 10 years, this 36-year-old Breton sexually assaulted 27 children, in Brittany, Normandy, in the two Sèvres, in the Grand-Est, but also in Switzerland. The facts were revealed in 2017. Since then, the former student at Rennes 2 has been imprisoned and he has recognized a large part of the facts. He will be tried this Friday before the assize court for minors in Rennes. The verdict is expected on October 14.
He gained the trust of parents to abuse their children
The victims are mostly girls aged 5 to 7 at the time of the incident.. Among them, one of his sisters, cousins, but also the children of his friendly entourage or families for whom he provided magic services and balloon sculptures, for birthday parties, or weddings. Parents whose trust he quickly gained, with whom he was regularly staying, under the pretext of saving hotel costs. Some even invite him to spend holidays together, abroad.
These parents describe a man “endearing, funny”, “he was like a member of the family”, “everyone adored him’. Sébastien spends a lot of time with young children, sometimes taking care of them for a night, he offers gifts, builds strong relationships with them, so much so that the parents let him sleep in the same bed as their children. It is there for some, that he proceeds to fondling, rape. Sometimes he lends his phone to divert their attention. He also films or photographs young girls in positions with a sexual connotation. The former magician asks these little victims to keep the secret.
Facts revealed in 2017
In December 2017, while he is with a close friend, the former magician confides, and he draws up a list of victims. The 30-year-old also calls parents to indicate that he will have to go to prison. He then went to the Rennes police station, after having destroyed his computer equipment.
After Sebastien’s phone calls, or when contacted by investigators, the children’s parents are flabbergasted. Children’s speech is free. They are still very young for the most part, but tell the investigators what Sébastien is doing to them, sometimes for several years. The former magician recognizes a large part of the facts. In front of the investigators, he describes himself as a pedophile and admits that the sexual assaults committed against children were more and more serious, more and more frequent.
The trial which opens this Friday should last 15 days and it could be held behind closed doors at the request of the families of victims. The defendant faces 20 years in prison. He had already been sentenced in 2011 in Saint Brieuc, for sexual assault.