St. Thomas Police (archive photo)
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Police have filed several charges – including child pornography and voyeurism – against the former operator of a St. Louis music studio. Thomas, who was charged a year ago with sex offenses involving a minor woman.
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After a year of investigation, St. Thomas recalled to Eugene Francois, 59, an additional 16 charges concerning 10 complainants. Police are urging all women who went to his home between 2009 and 2021 to contact them. The latest charges include voyeurism, creating child pornography and possession of child pornography, St. Thomas police said in a press release Monday. Last May, St. Thomas arrested Francois for offenses such as trafficking in a person under the age of 18, sexual assault and sexual exploitation. The charges concerned a woman who was allegedly trafficked in 2013 while she was a minor. Investigators searched François’s home after his arrest last year and seized several devices. The seizure of computers and other devices related to the search was the largest in police history, St. Thomas police said.
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An analysis of the devices revealed women had been filmed in the apartment without their knowledge or consent, police said. Some of the people were minors. “Police have processed thousands of images and discovered many victims who have not yet been identified,” said St. Thomas police. François remains in custody. Voyeurism has far-reaching implications for victims who may go beyond the incident and shape the way they relate to other people, said Annalize Trudell, director of education, training and research at Anova, a shelter and counseling agency for abused women. . “This is a lack of consensus,” Trudel said. “Being filmed without knowing it, being observed without knowing it, things happen in your body to which you have not consented. . . . That would be like an invasion. That would be a self-inflicted injury. “
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While some targeted people will not develop an injury response to the voyeur incident, many will, Trudel said. The act can deeply shake people’s feelings of security in the community and trust in others. “My heart right now is with the people who are going to learn in the coming weeks and months that they have been involved. “It will come to them and they will have to start dealing with what it means to them.” Police are asking any women or girls who came to François’s home between 2009 and May 2021 to contact the sergeant. Aaron Fraser at the Department of Criminal Investigation at 519-631-1224 ext. 4300. [email protected] Twitter.com/JenatLFPress
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