French trial ordered for paedophile accused of abuses in Asia

PARIS: A convicted French paedophile will stand trial on charges he used his NGO work as a cover to abuse young boys in Cambodia and Nepal for years, according to a court ruling seen by AFP.

Philippe Gerard, 51, is suspected of preying on 15 Nepalese and nine Cambodians aged six to 14 between 2011 and 2015, ostensibly during visits as part of his "Philmy" solidarity association to help children in need.

A court in Thonon, eastern France, had already sentenced Gerard to three years in prison, of which 18 months was suspended, in 2005 for sexually assaulting boys at a holiday camp.

In 2008, he left France to spend six months in Nepal, creating his NGO upon his return with help from family and friends.

The new court ruling, dated January 20, claims that Gerard forced his victims to masturbate or perform oral sex during showers or while sharing their beds.

A Nepal-based NGO, Saathi, alerted French authorities in 2014 after documenting several cases of Gerard with children at various hotels and other public spaces in Kathmandu.

Donors in France discovered Gerard's past after an AFP report on his 2005 conviction was published on the "Philmy" Facebook page, and a French inquiry was opened in March 2015.

According to the ruling, Gerard first denied the charges but later admitted to many of them under questioning by a judge. He risks up to 20 years in prison.

His lawyer, contacted by AFP, declined to comment.