François Camille Abello had entered the South Asian nation several times with a tourist visa (AFP)
Jakarta:
A French pensioner could face the death penalty in Indonesia for assaulting more than 300 children and beating those who refused to have sex with him, authorities said on Thursday.
Police said they arrested 65-year-old François Camille Abello last month at a hotel in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, where they found two underage girls in his room.
Abello could be sentenced to life or even execution by an execution platoon if convicted of numerous charges under Indonesian child protection laws, including charges that he videotaped the meetings illicit.
Police said they found videos on Abello’s laptop showing him engaging in illegal sex with hundreds of children between the ages of 10 and 17.
The retiree has entered the Southeast Asian country on several occasions with a tourist visa in the past five years, police said.
“He would approach the children and attract them by offering them work as models,” Jakarta police chief Nana Sudjana said on Thursday.
“Those who agreed to have sex with him would be paid between 250,000 and one million rupees (17 to 70 dollars). Those who did not want to have sex would be beaten, slapped and kicked by the suspect, “he added.
Police said they thought Abello had assaulted Indonesian children for years and that there could be more victims.
Up to 70,000 children are victims of sexual exploitation each year in Indonesia, according to the global anti-trafficking network ECPAT International.
US fugitive Russ Medlin, wanted in his home for $ 700 million cryptocurrency scam, was arrested last month in Jakarta for allegations that he paid underage girls for sex with him.
