Coco is a free dating site. He is at the heart of several cases, notably that of Philippe’s ambush in Grande-Synthe.
Coco.gg is a dating site and a forum that has been in the sights of French justice for several years. Accessible without paying and without registration, it is linked to several cases of child crime but also prostitution and homophobic attacks. Recently, investigators found traces of its use in the Philippe murder case in Grande-Synthe. On the day of his death, the man, aged 22, was going on a date with an underage girl whom he met on coco.gg. A trap actually set by two minors.
Prostitution, homophobia, child crime
The site is also linked to a child prostitution case whose trial opened this Thursday, April 25 in Valenciennes. Eleven men will be tried for having had paid sex with a 14-year-old girl, met via coco.gg. Another trial is due to open on September 2, that of the Mazan rape case, in Vaucluse. A man allegedly drugged and made his wife available to around fifty men for ten years. The network would have been created using coco.gg.
The site is easily usable for attackers. No verification exists regarding identity and age. Once registered, users can easily exchange on a forum which is not moderated, and whose conversation history is deleted after a few hours. The SOS Homophobia association has repeatedly requested the closure of coco.gg. The association Agir contre la prostitution des enfants affirms that it is a “hunting ground for predators”.
Hosted in the tax haven of Guernsey, the site says it declines “any responsibility for real meetings between chat users which are private initiatives”.