79-year-old arrested and charged in Privas child abduction case
79-year-old arrested and charged in Privas child abduction; surveillance footage aided quick identification.
Event / Security
Privas Child Abduction Case
A 79-year-old man abducted a 5-year-old girl outside a school in Privas, Ardèche, France on June 1, 2026. The child was recovered unharmed within 20 minutes. The suspect was identified through surveillance footage and arrested, facing charges of kidnapping, sequestration, and sexual assault of a minor. Trial scheduled for July 16, 2026.
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2026-08-17 to 2026-11-14 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 3 Jun, 17:04 UTC
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What happened
Man charged with kidnapping, sequestration, and sexual assault of minor
The 79-year-old suspect was charged with kidnapping, sequestration, and sexual assault of a minor. Prosecutor Céline Nainani announced that the man will be tried on July 16 before the correctional court of the Ardèche prefecture. The suspect claimed during interrogation that he and the child were playing and tickling each other. According to law enforcement sources, the man has a prior history of similar offenses.
79-year-old man arrested for abducting 5-year-old girl outside school in Privas
A 79-year-old man was arrested and detained after abducting a 5-year-old girl outside a school in Privas on Monday at approximately 12:30 PM. The child escaped her mother's supervision at the school exit and entered the suspect's vehicle. The man was identified and apprehended through city surveillance footage that captured the child boarding the car, allowing investigators to record the vehicle's license plate. The child was found approximately 20 minutes after her disappearance in the streets of Privas, unharmed and with no apparent physical injuries. She received medical and legal examination.
City surveillance footage enables rapid identification of suspect vehicle
Police utilized surveillance camera footage from the city of Privas to identify and track the suspect vehicle. The video evidence showed the child boarding the car and allowed investigators to record the vehicle's license plate, which was crucial to apprehending the suspect and establishing the sequence of events during the abduction.
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