The priest, who denied the accusations during his hearing, will be tried next Monday
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A 70-year-old priest from Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) was placed under judicial supervision for sexual assault on a 20-year-old young man and possession of child pornography images, the Bayonne prosecutor’s office told France Bleu Pays Basque, confirming information from the South-West. He is banned from practicing until his trial scheduled for Monday, July 1.
The affair broke out following a complaint filed by a 20-year-old young man. He indicates that he suffered a sexual assault last February from the priest within the diocese of Bayonne. The public prosecutor was then contacted and the priest placed in police custody. He denied the complainant’s accusations during his hearing.
The investigation also revealed that he had child pornography images on his computer. He will have the opportunity to explain this during his trial scheduled for July 1. Until then, the courts placed him under judicial supervision, prohibited him from approaching the victim and from exercising his ecclesiastical functions. “I have also suspended him from all ministry as a precaution,” specifies the Bishop of Bayonne, Mgr Aillet, to our colleagues in the South-West. The accused is unknown to the judicial services due to similar facts.
