French paedophilia appeals heard

The original trial shocked France

A French appeal court has upheld the convictions of 11 people in an infamous paedophilia case but acquitted one of those convicted.

Sixty-one people had been found guilty in July 2005 of abuse in the town of Angers in one of France's biggest child sex trials.

The appeal court confirmed the two ringleaders must serve 28 and 26 years.

The group raped, prostituted and abused up to 45 children, some as young as six months old, over a number of years.

Social workers

The sentences of the two ringleaders, brothers identified as Eric J and Jean-Marc J, were confirmed at 28 and 26 years respectively.

A third leader, Didier R, had his sentenced reduced by one year to 17 years.

In France, some of the defendants' names are withheld to protect the identity of those abused. Part of the appeal hearing was held behind closed doors for the same reason.

Twenty-six of the defendants were women - some of them mothers of abused children.

Serial offending in one family involved a grandfather who abused his sons, who in turn abused their own children.

At the original trial, one social worker received a jail sentence of one year with six months suspended for failing to report the sexual abuse on some of the youngsters.

Most of the families involved in the case had been visited by social workers, but for years no action was taken.

The crimes took place between January 1999 and February 2002 in Angers' Saint-Leonard district.