Quote:

France awaits biggest child sex abuse case in its legal history.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4719751.stm

Sixty-five men and women are accused of sexually abusing their own and other children in a poor district of the western town of Angers.

Prosecutors say 45 children aged between six months to 14 years were offered for sex - often in exchange for small sums of money or cigarettes.

The verdicts in the case are expected on Wednesday afternoon.

Some of the defendants could face life in prison if convicted.

The defendants include 39 men and 26 women, aged 27 to 73.

The crimes allegedly took place between January 1999 and February 2002 in Angers' Saint-Leonard district.

Full identification of the suspects has been banned to protect the identity of the children.

During the five-month trial, jurors heard pre-recorded evidence given by some of the children.

Prosecutors urged long prisons terms for the key defendants.

Correspondents say the accused - many of whom were unemployed and lived on benefits - said little in court and seemed confused by the proceedings.

About 20 of them have acknowledged some of the charges, while others insist they knew nothing about the paedophile ring.

Defence lawyers have called for many acquittals, citing lack of evidence.

They also pointed out that many of the accused had suffered abuse as children themselves.

---

--------------------

CaptainH13 said:

six months???????

uhhhhh.is that even possible?.......

---

Yeah, when I heard that on the news I was like wtf?

--------------------