the former deputy director of the Saint-Michel private college in Annecy convicted of sexual assault on minors

The former deputy director of the prestigious Saint-Michel private college in Annecy, Jean-Marie Boasso, was sentenced to three years in prison, one of which was suspended by the Annecy correctional court in Haute-Savoie on Tuesday 23 November, reports France Bleu Country of Savoy.

He was found guilty of two sexual assaults on minors as well as of detention, consultation and capturing of child pornography images. Aged 53, he will serve his sentence under an electronic bracelet. The court also forbade him to return to Haute-Savoie and to exercise a professional or voluntary activity in contact with minors. “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 court.

The investigation opened in 2018 after the testimony of a college student from Saint-Michel 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. In court, Jean-Michel Boasso admitted to having “installed cameras in the boys’ showers”. He had also noted salacious comments on certain pictures. The man recognized “an aesthetic and intellectual attraction for young boys”.

For the prosecutor who had requested three years in prison against Jean-Marie Boasso, 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 sexual assault. According to his lawyer, “he behaved inappropriately but there is nothing to support” these accusations.

During the trial, the civil parties pointed out the responsibility of the management of the Saint-Michel college. According to several parents, she knew about it and did nothing. “There were many alerts but she did not act.” One of the family lawyers denounces “the silence and silence of the institution.”