A prominent French LGBT activist has been arrested and charged with subjecting a severely developmentally disabled toddler to horrific sexual and physical abuse. Pierre-Alain Cottineau, 32, was arrested on September 23 after landing at Nantes Airport upon return from a vacation in Tunisia.
Cottineau was well-known within his region of Loire-Atlantique for his political activism, which included advocacy for the LGBT community, youth, and minority populations. In 2021, he stood for departmental elections under the banner of La France Insoumise (LFI), a left-wing political party that has a hard-line “zero-tolerance” policy on “sexist, racist, anti-Semitic or LGBTIphobic remarks or behavior” amongst its members.
In 2018, Cottineau was elected the president of The Rainbow Shelter (Le Refuge Arc-en-ciel), and hosted the community’s first-ever “forum” to combat homophobia and transphobia.
Cottineau, a professional caregiver and family aide, co-founded multiple activist organizations, including the Oudon Solidarity and Mutual Aid Collective, as well as the LGBTQI+ Association of Ancenis (EsAc). Since 2022, he has also contributed to the organization of the annual pride parade in Ancenis-Saint-Géréon.
During an interview with FranceBleu, Cottineau identified himself as a member of the LGBT community, stating: “We suffer from invisibility. This walk is there to make people understand that LGBTQI+ people also exist in the [French] countryside.”
Disturbingly, Cottineau’s respected history working with “vulnerable populations” may have contributed to his ability to be approved as a foster father, facilitating his abuse of a disabled toddler.
Cottineau obtained approval from Child Welfare services to become a foster parent on December, 1, 2023, specifically requesting children under the age of 6. He was rapidly matched with a developmentally disabled 4-year-old girl on December 7, 2023, who was then placed directly in his home.
According to Ouest-France, the Council claims that Cottineau’s criminal record had been “double-checked” and that the “approval procedure, recruitment, and regular monitoring … had not revealed any warning signs.”
On September 13, 2024, the Office of Minors, a newly-created division within the French National Police dedicated to combating violence against children, became aware of particularly graphic child sexual abuse videos being circulated through Telegram. Investigators were alerted by authorities in a bordering nation, who suspected the young victim in the video was a French national.
Immediately, investigators got to work to identify the child’s location using the few details they were able to ascertain from the video. The key element: a medical bed that was seen in the video. Within a week, investigators were able to locate the child by tracing the distribution channel of the exact model of the bed.
Arriving at Cottineau’s home, police learned he had gone on vacation to Tunisia after hospitalizing the child.
On September 23, Cottineau was arrested at the airport after arriving on his flight from Tunisia. Upon police interrogation, he admitted to sexually and physically abusing the toddler, and distributing videos through pedophile networks in France.
While in custody, Cottineau professed to being a pedophile. He has since been indicted for rape, torture, and barbarism.
Investigators are currently working to determine if there are additional victims, and Cottineau will remain in custody awaiting a hearing. He is facing life imprisonment if convicted.