Teacher abused children worldwide for 55 years, kept USB log of assaults

A globe-trotting teacher allegedly abused children across three continents for over 55 years and kept a USB drive documenting the attacks, French prosecutors say.

Jacques Leveugle, 79, has been charged with the aggravated rape and sexual assault of 89 minors between 1967 and 2022, according to prosecutors in Grenoble, reports AFP.

Authorities say the freelance tutor moved from country to country including Germany, Switzerland, Morocco, Niger, Algeria, the Philippines, India, Colombia and New Caledonia - using teaching jobs to get close to teens.

"In each place where he settled to teach, he would meet young people and have sexual relations with them," prosecutor Etienne Manteaux told reporters.

The alleged victims were between 13 and 17 years old.

The case surfaced after Leveugle’s nephew discovered a USB stick containing notes that detailed dozens of assaults. Prosecutors said the files read like a personal log of the abuse spanning decades.

The drive also reportedly contained written confessions suggesting Leveugle killed two family members.

Investigators say he later admitted suffocating his terminally ill mother with a pillow in the 1970s and smothering his 92-year-old aunt in her sleep in the 1990s. He allegedly told police he viewed the deaths as acts of mercy.

So far, only 40 of the 89 alleged victims have been identified. Prosecutors warned there may be more and urged others to come forward.

Under French law, assaults committed before 1993 cannot be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations, but authorities said they are still working to uncover the full scale of the suspected crimes.

Leveugle remains in custdy as the investigation continues, prosecutors said.