the technical director of the Pôle France referred to justice for moral harassment

by time news

The alleged actions of the so-called Vincent Pateau were denounced by five young girls.

A gymnastics coach, technical director of the Pôle France de Marseille, a high-level structure, will be tried in October for acts of “moral harassment“Denounced by five young girls, the Marseille prosecutor’s office told AFP on Wednesday. The alleged victims blame Vincent Pateau, according to the newspaper The Team who revealed the information on Tuesday, humiliating remarks and “abuse” in the words of some parents of the young girls concerned in the sports daily, one of them denouncing “a real threat».

Following a preliminary investigation, the Marseille prosecutor’s office ordered Mr. Pateau’s referral to the criminal court on April 7. The hearing was finally adjourned to October 13, the prosecution said, adding that “as this is a preliminary investigation, it is not possible to know at this stage whether they (the young girls and their families) will be civil parties at the hearing».

No comments from the “Fédé”

The prosecution also informed AFP that a separate hearing will be held the same day concerning another Pole coach, Pierre Ettel, for acts of moral harassment of a 15-year-old minor, concerning a single gymnast. No comment could be immediately obtained from the French Gymnastics Federation.

Cases of abuse have shaken world gymnastics for several months, to the point that the International Federation adopted a new code of conduct in June to protect gymnasts against abusive practices. In France, another women’s gymnastics training structure similar to that of Marseille, the Pôle France de Saint-Etienne, was recently at the heart of an investigation into rapes and sexual assaults committed in the 1980s and 90s. Due to the suspect’s advanced age, 80, and his state of health, the investigation was closed.

You may also like

Leave a Comment