Man lodges appeal to keep job in public sector

Seven months ago, a man was sentenced to one year in prison with probationary suspension for possession of child pornography. He was also issued a judicial constraint to undergo treatment because of his paedophile tendencies, received a fine of 1,000 euros, and was banned from working in the public service for five years. However, the man opted to appeal this last point of the sentence.

The representative of the Public Prosecutor's Office considered that if the man were not in employment, his abundance of free time could see him returning to his compulsive obsession. However, the ban on engaging in activity involving minors should be extended from five to ten years, thus preventing the former schoolteacher from teaching children. The representative also recommended a follow-up with a psycho-sexologist rather than a psychiatrist.

Previously, the accused, who was discovered in possession of at least 135,000 photos and 875 child pornography videos, had claimed his professional future would be destroyed if the ban on working in public service was maintained.

The President of the Court lectured the accused and added that there had been a lot of such cases lately, but he had overcome them all. The judge spoke of a frightening scale of cases, and the expert psychiatrist's mixed prognosis.

Tom Luciani, the accused's lawyer, claimed that his client had stopped this activity and that he had been under surveillance for three years. In adult education, he would not have contact with minors and the loss of his job would be a disproportionate sanction.

The verdict is expected to be announced on 29 July.