French general gets light sentence for child porn
The Paris court gave Raymond Germanos a 10-month suspended
sentence and ordered him to pay one euro in symbolic damages to
three child protection associations who filed suit in his case.
"These are unspeakable acts. Some of these images are
unbearable," said Judge Marie-Francoise Guidolin.
Germanos acknowledged to the court to "consulting" the images,
from Web sites with names such as "Lolita" and "Babylove."
"I simply want to say that I regret it," he said in his
testimony, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt.
Germanos made no comment as he walked free after the verdict was
read Tuesday night.
The 68-year-old Germanos was military spokesman during France's
role in the 1990-91 Gulf War and the international operation in
Bosnia in the 1990s, among other high-profile activity. He retired
from the army as a general in 2002, and went on to work as an
adviser to the president of Cameroon.
Germanos was accused of possessing some 3,000 images of
pornography involving children between six months and 12 years old,
from 2004 to 2008, when he was detained.
Investigators alerted by Interpol found the images on Germanos'
home computer.
He testified that he was going through a time of medical
difficulties including a brain tumor. His lawyer sought to
demonstrate that the tumor could have affected his sense of
self-control.
Prosecutor Sophie Havard argued that Germanos searched
systematically over a period of four years for the porn sites, and
took precautions to ensure that his family wouldn't find the
images.
"The one who hides behind his computer is as guilty" as the
one involved in pedophile acts, she said.
However, the prosecutor had asked for a suspended sentence,
citing Germanos' lack of prior offenses. The prosecutor had also
asked that he undergo medical observation for two years and pay
euro25,000 in damages to the child protection associations. The court
denied that request.
Germanos is an officer with France's National Order of Merit and
a commander in the French Legion of Honor.