Most of the abuse took place in the Vergondy apartment, but also in sheds by garden allotments on the outside of Angers and in caravans. Locals said they were aware of a constant traffic of "voiturettes" -- cheap electric cars that need no licence -- but no one ever made a comment.
Indeed the failure of anyone -- including the social services -- to spot what was going on is one of the scandals of the affair. Many of the families were known to social workers, but no peculiar behavior was ever reported.
"And yet in the prosecution's case there is the testimony of a teacher who noticed that a little girl was masturbating in class repeatedly throughout the year. Why was this never passed on?" said Pascal Rouillier, a lawyer for five of the accused.
For many in France the other shocking element is the number of women involved. Of the 39 accused who are behind bars, 13 are female. "It is ridiculous to suppose that women cannot be pedophiles," said Monika Pasquini, another lawyer.
"But are the French ready to accept this transformation of their image of the soft maternal woman into a harpy capable of raping and selling children -- even her own? That's another question," she said.
Three of the accused face life in prison if they are convicted, and the others lesser terms ranging from three to 20 years.
RSS