In France, the founder of the website used by Dominique Pelicot to recruit men for the rape of his wife Gisèle has been arrested. The chat site, named Coco, was shut down by authorities in June.
The arrested individual is 44-year-old Isaac Steidl, who was wanted by the police and reportedly traveled to Paris from abroad to surrender. The Coco site was used by criminals involved in thousands of crimes, including rape, murder, and child abuse, according to the judiciary.
French media report that Steidl established the site in 2003 shortly after graduating. Although the website was intended for organizing romantic dates, it quickly attracted criminals, such as drug dealers and sex offenders.
The French police have frozen approximately five million euros linked to the website, with accounts in Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Lithuania. Steidl is said to have renounced his French nationality and is now Italian, having recently stayed in Eastern Europe.
Last year, Steidl was interrogated in Bulgaria. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced last month to 20 years in prison for the prolonged rape of his wife Gisèle Pelicot and inciting others to do the same.
He drugged his wife and allowed dozens of men to abuse her. Several other men received lesser prison sentences in the case.
Source: NOS