For Immediate Release: October 30, 2008                               
Contact: Corey Welford/Jessica Venezia 781-897-8325

Winchester Middle School Teacher’s Aide Indicted On Child Rape, Child Enticement, And Child Pornography Charges In Connection With Alleged Crimes Against Six Victims
Alleged That Defendant Committed Child Rape, Used Social Networking Sites Such As Myspace and Facebook To Entice Victims To Engage In Sexual Activity And Exchange Naked Photos

WOBURN – A Winchester middle school teacher’s aide has been indicted on child rape, child enticement, and child pornography charges in connection with alleged crimes committed against six underage female victims, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public today.

Christopher French, age 28, of Winchester was indicted by a Middlesex Superior Court Grand Jury on charges of child rape, child enticement (two counts), posing a child in a state of nudity (four counts), disseminating visual material of a child in a state of nudity (four counts), possession of child pornography (four counts), and dissemination of matter harmful to minors (three counts).

An arraignment date has not yet been set in this matter. The investigation is ongoing.

“These are troubling allegations against a man who abused his position as a trusted mentor to many of these young victims,” District Attorney Leone said. “We allege that he engaged in a pattern of grooming these young, impressionable girls through a series of inappropriate online conversations on websites such as Facebook and Myspace. The defendant then took those conversations further by exchanging sexually explicit photos, enticing the underage girls to meet him for sexual relations, and, in one case, committing child rape against a 14-year-old girl.”

The defendant was a special education teacher’s aide at the McCall Middle School in Winchester. The defendant had teaching responsibilities and also coached soccer. Prior to his fulltime employment as a teacher’s aide, the defendant worked as a substitute teacher at the school beginning in the early 2000s.

On June 28, 2008, the Winchester Police executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence in Winchester, seizing computer equipment from the residence and from the defendant’s room. The police investigation–including the forensic analysis of the defendant’s seized computer equipment–revealed that, throughout the years the defendant was employed at the McCall Middle School, the defendant communicated with many underage females, some of whom had been students at McCall Middle School, and some of whom he met online through social networking sites.

The defendant focused much of these communications with young females on sexual matters. The defendant disseminated naked pictures of himself to many of them, requested and received naked pictures of some of the young females in return, and enticed two of them to meet with him in person for sexual activity. It is alleged that the defendant committed child rape against one victim. The pictures the defendant sent of himself, the pictures he requested and received from his targets, and many of the communications he had with his targets were stored in his computer, cataloged by the names of the targets.

In one instance, in 2005-06, a 14-year-old female victim was in ninth grade. The prior school year, she had attended McCall Middle School and knew the defendant as a teacher’s aide at the school. The defendant, age 25 at the time, contacted the victim on her Myspace page and they began instant messaging. After a period of time, the defendant began inviting the victim to go into his hot tub. The victim declined to do this. Then, the defendant began to suggest that he could come to her house. One night, when the victim was fourteen, she agreed to have the defendant over to her house. It was in the basement of the house that it is alleged that the child rape occurred. The defendant warned the victim not to tell her friends or family. The defendant is charged with child rape and enticement in connection with this victim.

In another instance, beginning in April 2008, French, age 27 at the time and while serving as a teacher’s aide at McCall Middle School, is alleged to have initiated contact with a 13-year-old female who attended the school. The online conversations occurred on his Myspace page, and he used online names such as “Frenchy” or “Frenchy 1024.” In June, the conversations became more overtly sexual, with the defendant indicating that the victim could be invited to the defendant’s hot tub, emphasizing that “naughty things” happen in the hot tub. He also sent the victim a “questionnaire” asking her various sexually explicit questions. Then, the defendant arranged to meet the victim at various times in the woods near his house, with the victim understanding that the purpose of the meeting was “to fool around.” The meetings did not occur for various reasons, but the online conversations continued with the defendant again engaging in conversations of a sexual nature. The defendant is charged with child enticement in conection with this victim.

There were also numerous other incidents, with multiple victims aged 15 – 17 years old, in which the defendant engaged in sexual conversations through social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook. With four victims, he sent the victims naked photos of himself and requested/received naked photos from them. In connection with these victims, the defendant is charged with counts of posing children in a state of nudity, disseminating visual material of a child in a state of nudity, possession of child pornography, and dissemination of matter harmful to minors.

On June 28, French was arrested on one charge of child enticement in connection with one victim. On June 30, he was arraigned in Woburn District Court and Judge Geoffrey C. Packard ordered bail set at $5000 with conditions including no contact with the victim and no contact with children under age 16. French posted bail at that time. French was suspended without pay by the school at the time of his arrest.

The investigation into the allegations against French continued following his arrest and today’s indictments are a result of that investigation conducted by Winchester Police in conjunction with the Massachusetts State Police and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Child Abuse Unit.

The investigation remains ongoing. Members of the public who believe that they may have information that could be helpful to the investigation can call Winchester Police at 781-729-1340.

These charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The case is being investigated by Winchester Police and Massachusetts State Police. The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney Michael Chinman of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Child Abuse Unit. The victim witness advocate is Joanne Szeto.

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