The public prosecutor of Pau indicated on Tuesday that around ten new complaints had been filed, in particular for rape and sexual assault, against a Catholic establishment in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
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Around ten new complaints, notably for rape and sexual assault, were filed against the private institution Notre-Dame de Bétharram, in Lestelle-Bétharram (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), in addition to the twenty complaints already filed, France Bleu Béarn Bigorre learned on Tuesday February 13 from the public prosecutor of Pau, Rodolphe Jarry.
On February 1, a preliminary investigation was opened after the filing of twenty complaints from former students of the Notre-Dame de Bétharram Catholic high school, which accommodates around 280 students, in Lestelle-Bétharram, between Pau and Lourdes.
Facts dating back to the 70s and 90s
On Tuesday, the Pau public prosecutor’s office indicated that it had since received thirteen new complaints against the Notre-Dame de Bétharram Institution, including ten complaints for rape and sexual assault. These are former students who denounce acts committed by religious and lay people. According to these complaints, the events took place between the 70s and 90s.
The head of the institution, Romain Clercq, contacted by France Bleu Béarn Bigorre, explains that all these cases have not “no impact” about middle school and high school life. “We told the parents it happened”, he specifies. On the other hand, Bishop Monsignor Marc Aillet did not wish to comment on the matter.
