The former headmaster of Saint-Joseph primary school in Saint-Barthélemy was sentenced on Thursday, June 18, by the court to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was prosecuted for possessing, downloading, and sharing child pornography, particularly during the period he worked at the school between 2021 and 2022.
The case began following a report from the “Child Protect System” software, a tool used by authorities in several countries to identify IP addresses associated with the repeated viewing or sharing of child pornography. The investigation led detectives to an IP address assigned to CL, a teacher for over 40 years and recently appointed headmaster of a primary school in Saint-Barthélemy.
The investigation revealed the use of several IP addresses linked to him between 2016 and 2022, first in mainland France and then in Saint Barthélemy, for downloading child pornography. The computer forensics analysis specifically uncovered downloads and file sharing via peer-to-peer software between November 2021 and March 2022, associated with his personal email address.
During a search of the defendant’s home in May 2022, police seized several computers and phones. They found traces of deleted child pornography files as well as digital signatures of searches targeting content involving minors. Investigators also discovered photographs of a female student’s breasts and pictures of a naked toddler on one of the phones.
The hypothesis of a third party ruled out
At the hearing, the former teacher, now retired, denied all the charges. He claimed that a homeless man, whom he occasionally housed, could have used his computer equipment. This individual was never identified by investigators. The proceedings focused in particular on the school principal’s ability to use digital tools. While he maintained he was unable to use the software in question, the prosecution emphasized that most of the downloaded files were indeed linked to accounts and passwords personally associated with the defendant.
The court ultimately dismissed the possibility of outside interference and found him guilty of the crimes committed in Saint Barthélemy. However, he was acquitted of the charges related to crimes committed before his arrival on the neighboring island in 2021, due to insufficient evidence. In addition to the suspended prison sentence, he was fined €2.000, banned from working with minors for five years, and registered as a sex offender. _DR
Source: Faxinfo https://faxinfo.fr/en/tribunal-un-ancien-directeur-decole-condamne-pour-detention-dimages-pedopornographiques/
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