Paris aide on trial for alleged sexual assault of kids

A school aide in Paris went on trial Tuesday accused of sexually assaulting kindergarten pupils, marking the first public hearing since a wave of allegations of abuse against non-teaching staff emerged across the capital’s educational institutions. The defendant, identified as David G., is a 36-year-old freelance journalist who worked at a kindergarten to supplement his income. He faces charges of sexually assaulting five preschoolers aged three to five and sexually harassing two female colleagues between September 2024 and April 2025.

The trial commenced in a packed courtroom, where the defendant shielded his face from photographers. He has denied the charges, stating publicly last November that there was no intimate contact with the children. However, he acknowledged breaking staff guidelines, including rules prohibiting an adult from having a child sit on their lap or carrying them. Police gathered statements from young children who described, in their own words, how the defendant touched their private parts. Four other families have also accused him of sexually abusing their children through a legal procedure that bypasses the prosecutor’s office, and these allegations will...