French Suspected of Abusing 305 Minors Die by Suicide in Jakarta Police Custody

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – A French national in police custody for suspected pedophilia died on July 12, three days after he strangled himself with a cable.

Frans or FAC carried out the suicide attempt weeks after the Jakarta Metropolitan Police arrested him for sexually abusing over hundreds of minors last June.

Indonesian National Police Staff College (PTIK) forensic psychologist Reza Indragiri Amriel said  police should have been more careful in taking sex offenders into custody.

Also read: French Pedophile Police Believe to Have Sexually Abused 305 Indonesian Children Arrested

“The police should be more aware about the suspects’ frame of mind,” he said of Frans' death.

“Among the factors they should keep an eye out for are suicidal thoughts or suicide ideation. They should also run security checks in jail cells more thoroughly to ensure there are no items that they can use for a suicide attempt.”

Reza noted that sexual offenders are particularly prone to suicide.

“[Sexual offenders] are 180 times more likely to commit suicide than [other inmates] or society in general,” he warned. “I hope that other offenders will not do the same thing.”

Frans died of his injuries at the Kramat Jati National Police Hospital on July 12.

Jakarta Metropolitan Police spokesman Nana Sudjana said the police arrested Frans in Taman Sari, West Jakarta last June, as he was about to carry out his crimes.

Also read: Jakarta Police Arrest US National Suspected of Pedophilia

Police suspect him of abusing 305 minors, most of them street children, aged from 10 to 17 years. They noted that he pretended to be a fashion photographer and lured his victims with money they could make from a photoshoot.

Police charged Frans with violating two articles of Indonesia’s Child Protection Law. He faced the death penalty or prison terms ranging from 10 to 20 years in jail.

The Jakarta Metropolitan Police apprehended Frans weeks after they arrested an American, Russ Albert Medlin, for similar crimes. Investigators said the two men incriminated themselves by chronicling their acts on computers or smartphones. 

(Writer: Muhammad Isa Bustomi | Editor : Irfan Maullana)

Sources:

https://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2020/07/14/09105931/wn-perancis-predator-tersangka-paedofil-bunuh-diri-ini-saran-pakar-untuk?page=all#page2.