The 21-year-old man and main suspect in the Morgane disappearance case was indicted for theft and rape of a minor under 15 this Thursday, December 12. His mother assured her that her son “is not a sexual predator”.
Missing and wanted for a fortnight, teenager Morgane Rivoal was found alive on Tuesday December 10 in Coutances, in Manche in Normandy. The 13-year-old girl was found by the Rennes research section in good health in a young workers’ home, more precisely in the room of a 21-year-old young man suspected of having kidnapped and kidnapped her.
Morgane was placed in the juvenile unit of Saint-Brieuc hospital to be taken care of, carry out various examinations and assess her social situation. “A skin examination did not reveal any lesions, as did the gynecological examination,” said the public prosecutor of Saint-Brieuc during a press conference on Wednesday, December 11 regarding the teenager’s state of health. . Further examinations must still take place. Morgane declared that he had no sexual relations with the suspect, the young man said the same thing until his last hearing during which he indicated that he had had “a sexual relationship with Morgane […] on one occasion and consented according to him” reports the public prosecutor in a press release. The individual was indicted for “abduction without fraud or violence of a minor child” and “rape committed on a minor under 15 years”, this Thursday, December 12.
The suspect already involved in the “subtraction” of a teenage girl
The man suspected in this case is already known to the police because he is suspected of having kidnapped another 14-year-old girl on April 8, 2024, in Oise. He was also due to answer for his facts at the Beauvais court these days, but due to his arrest and his absence in court the hearing was postponed. Apart from this first case, the suspect has only one conviction for speeding in his criminal record. He is also not registered in the automated file of perpetrators of sexual or violent offenses (Fijais). The suspect’s parents live in Brittany; the latter was born in Rennes and lived in a hostel for young workers in Coutances, where he was employed under an apprenticeship contract.
Questioned several times during his custody, the suspect admitted to being at fault due to the age difference between Morgane and himself, as well as the difference in build. He also said he was stressed and anxious and felt at fault. On the other hand, he declared that he never had an intimate relationship with the 13-year-old girl, corroborating the young girl’s statements, and that he never exchanged intimate photos either. He also assures that he did not forcibly keep the young girl in her room since the door to his home can be opened from the inside and adds that he showed the teenager how to do it. The investigators were able to verify and validate the fact that Morgane was capable of opening the door, even though the young girl indicated she was locked. The suspect also told investigators that he offered to take Morgane home.
Morgane’s journey since her escape
Morgane had been wanted since November 25 and her disappearance from her parents in Côtes-d’Armor in Brittany. The teenager had left her family home, located in the town of Pabu, a few kilometers north of Guingamp, to go to the Albert Camus college in Graces where she attended school. A journey made partly on foot, then by bus. She ultimately never made it to the school. Morgane confirmed to investigators that she made the decision after an argument with her parents about social networks during which “her father allegedly broke his daughter’s cell phone and took her SIM card.” She would have contacted the young man arrested so that he could come and get her, which he did the next day. According to the testimony of a friend of the teenager, Morgane “was able to indicate on social networks that she would not come to class on Monday”. The public prosecutor revealed on Monday December 2 that a farewell message was also found in his trash can. “Dad, mom, sorry (sic), I’m leaving,” it reads.
The two individuals were able to be found after the report of a woman indicating having seen a young man and the 13-year-old girl in the southwest, indicated the public prosecutor. The suspect, identified, was then located thanks to the tracing of his phone in Normandy.
During the investigation, several adult men who spoke with the 13-year-old girl via social networks were questioned. Two had particularly caught the attention of investigators: one aged 21 and living in Drôme, the other aged 29 living in Eure. But no relevant element emerged from their
18:06 – Suspect indicted for “rape of a minor under 15”
Indicted for kidnapping and sequestration of a minor under 15 years old, the young man suspected in the case of Morgane’s disappearance was also indicted for rape of a minor under 15 years old, the prosecutor said. of the Republic of Saint-Brieuc. “The judicial investigation will now continue to allow the truth to be revealed and to define the exact circumstances of the facts that occurred,” added the magistrate. BFMTV. The channel adds that during his last interview the suspect indicated that he had had a consensual sexual relationship with the teenager. Yesterday, the prosecutor indicated that both the young girl and the young man declared that they had not had sexual intercourse.
16:15 – Explanations from the suspect’s mother on the first “subtraction” case
The public prosecutor indicated that the suspect in the Morgane case was already involved in the “subtraction” of another teenage girl which occurred in Oise last April. On this point, the suspect’s mother explains to RMC that her son had interacted with the 14-year-old girl on social networks: “He felt she was in danger, and he wanted to protect her, that’s all. He is went to get her because the young girl said she was being beaten by her parents,” she said. Also arrested in this case for which he was due to appear in court in recent days – the hearing was postponed due to the young man’s absence – the suspect “had shown no resistance with the police , he is not a violent person, he is very empathetic, perhaps too much, out of step with our society where it is every man for himself,” adds his mother.
15:59 – The suspect “is not a sexual predator” assures his mother
The mother of a young man arrested and suspected of the kidnapping and sequestration of Morgane spoke on RMC describing her son as “someone who is very empathetic, [qui] understands the suffering of others.” “I often told him: ‘You are not the savior of the earth.’ But he’s stronger than him,” she adds, assuring that “he’s not someone who wanted to do harm.” Recognizing that he harmed Morgane’s family by leaving them in ignorance, the suspect’s mother maintains that he “did not want to harm anyone” and that “it was more to help the person”, in this case the teenager who had contacted him. “He’s clumsy, doesn’t know how to express his feelings but no, he is not a sexual predator,” assures the suspect’s mother.
15:51 – The suspect in Morgane’s kidnapping indicted
The 21-year-old young man with whom young Morgane was found after having disappeared for two weeks has been indicted for kidnapping and sequestration of a minor under the age of 15, announced the public prosecutor of Saint-Brieuc, Nicolas Heitz, at BFMTV this Thursday, December 12. The prosecutor also requested referral to the liberty and detention judge to place the suspect in pre-trial detention.