Aintoura's sexual harassment case: teacher confesses and students testify

Today, a breakthrough was achieved in the sexual harassment case that shook the Lebanese public opinion, with the issuance of the indictment. In details, a 23-year-old teacher was accused of sexually assaulting 11 students at the Saint Joseph School in Aintoura. The story was revealed by chance when one of the girls told her parents of her art teacher’s abusive acts.         

After about one month and a half, Mount Lebanon’s prosecuting Judge Elie el-Helou issued his indictment that included several points including the indictment of the defendant teacher Pierre Chalach in virtue of articles 519, 520 and 523 of the Lebanese Penal Code.        

The judge considered that sexual harassment at school is a felony, not an offense, adding that in this case, the accused is sentenced to 6 to 10 years in prison. However, the indictment prevented the prosecution of the defendant for attempted rape, as stipulated in articles 509 and 511, for lack of evidence.        

In his testimony, the defendant said that he did not sexually harass the girls, but when he noticed that some of them were behaving abnormally, he started taking photos of them, until he recently felt a desire to harass minor girls.     

The defendant stressed that he has not attempted to commit suicide, but had a car accident on the Jeita Grotto road due to speed and alcohol use.        

For their part, and according to the indictment, the girls said that the defendant had been trying to draw closer to them in drawing class, sitting near them and touching their intimate parts over their clothing, repeating this act by force at the sight of their classmates. In their testimony, the girls also said that the teacher asked them to do shameful acts and took “indecent” pictures of them using his cell phone and camera.        

After the issuance of the indictment, the attorney of the affected families, Maroun Abou Charaf appealed the decision of Judge Elie el-Helou.