Kumari Shreya
‘The Outreau Case’ talks about various individuals involved in one of the most infamous cases of pedophilia that caught the headlines in France. The Netflix documentary series highlights how a staggeringly high number of individuals were accused of such crimes, though many continued to protest the claims. However, individuals like David Delplanque, Aurelie Grenon, and Daniel Legrand Jr did stand out among the many due to the severity of their own actions, leading them to be questioned in the limelight.
David Delplanque is a Father of Two
David Delplanque was one of the neighbors of Myriam Badaoui and Thierry Delay, who were one of the first accused of sexually abusing the Delay children. Initially, David denied the charges, though he admitted that he had partied with the Delay couple. However, after he learned that his partner, Aurelie Grenon, had confessed to having abused the Delay children, David also admitted to the charges, mostly agreeing with whatever testament that his partner was giving.
In 2004, after the first trial against the 17 people accused finished, David was sentenced to six years in prison. He was one of the four people who actually confessed to his crimes and did not appeal his conviction from the first trial. Since then, David has preferred to avoid the limelight, though he has made a few public appearances since his release. His relationship with Aurelie has come to an end.
He did appear in David Legrand Jr’s trial in 2015, where he recanted his accusations against him. When asked why he had then accused Legrand initially, David refused to explain further, claiming that he just wanted to put the case behind him. David also has two children, Malvina and Corentin, who he had had prior to his relationship with Aurelie and his involvement in the Outreau case.
Aurélie Grenon Claims That She, Too, Was Forced
For her self-confessed involvement in the Outreau case, Aurélie Grenon was sentenced to four years in prison in 2004. She had been the only person, apart from Myriam Badaou, who had readily confessed to the crimes related to the abuse of the Delay children. Her testimony was what led to various other individuals being accused of the crime of pedophilia. At the time, Aurélie had been in a relationship with David Delplanque, who was seven years older than her.
Preferring mostly to remain away from the limelight, Aurélie has not made public appearances, though she did take a stand during David Legrand Jr’s trial in 2015. During her testimony, which came over a decade after her sentencing, she recanted all the accusations levied against Legrand. She also confessed that during the Outreau case events, she had not been completely willing in the events that had transpired. Having barely reached adulthood at the time, she stated that she had been forced into many of the events that she had confessed to, leading many to wonder if she was indeed a perpetrator of abuse or yet another victim.
Daniel Legrand Jr Had to Stand Trial Once More
The circumstances regarding Daniel Legrand Jr’s involvement in the Outreau case are far from simple. During the initial phase of the investigation, he had also confessed to having been involved in the abuse and killing of a little girl. When the body of said victim was not discovered, he claimed that he had made everything up in an attempt to point out how ridiculous all the accusations against him were. His decision to confess to the fabrication of a crime landed him in further hot water.
Though Legrand was initially convicted in the 2004 trial, he, along with five others, appealed the decision. When Myriam Badaou redacted her accusations against several individuals indicted in the case, Legrand was ultimately acquitted. However, the accusations levied by two of the Delay children, Chérif and Jonathan Delay, that Legrand had been present when they had been abused by their father, Thierry Delay.
This meant that Legrand had to stand trial once more. The third trial began in 2015, with the four of the final convicted four of the case recanting all of their accusations. The trial was separately held from the whole case as the actions that Legrand was accused of were allegedly conducted before he had reached his majority. Though Chérif and Jonathan, as well as their brother Dmitri, maintained their accusations against Legrand, he was ultimately declared innocent.
Read More: Thierry Delay and Myriam Badaoui: What Happened to Jonathan’s Parents?
