Paris
A French court has overturned most of the convictions in a notorious child sex-abuse case that gripped France for years. Two married couples admitted abusing four children, but then went on to tell a shockingly sordid—and false—tale of an entire community that traded its kids around for sex. The testimony sent 14 other prominent members of the community to prison in 2001, their children placed in foster homes. One person committed suicide while in jail. Seven of the convicts were exonerated last year, after the main perpetrator recanted much of her testimony. The remaining six were cleared last week. “This case represents a major, catastrophic malfunction of the justice system,” said Yves Bot, chief prosecutor in Paris.
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