French man accused of molesting hundreds of children kills self

A French man accused of bullying more than 300 children in Indonesia died of alleged suicide in his prison cell, local authorities said Monday.

Francois Camille Abello, 65, was found lying in his cell Friday with a wire wrapped around his throat, police spokesman for Jakarta Yusri Yunus said. After three days in the hospital, Abello died on Sunday.
“His health was stable a day later, but it worsened [because of] brain damage due to lack of oxygen after the suicide attempt,” Yunus said.

Abello was arrested last month in a hotel room in the capital of Jakarta, after nearby residents tipped the police off to a man accused of exploiting children, according to prosecutors.

Police said they found him in the hotel room with two naked underage girls, BBC reported.

Videos found on Abello ‘s computer showed him engaged in illegal sex with 305 children aged 10 to 17, police said Thursday at a news conference. Abello appeared in handcuffs at the news conference but did not speak.

Jakarta Police Chief Nana Sudjana said that most of Abello’s alleged victims were street children he attracted by giving them a role model. Abello paid between 250,000 and 1 million rupiahs ($17 and $70) for sex and beat anyone who resisted, Sudjana said.
He faced a maximum penalty for chemical castration or death by firing squad under Indonesia’s child protection legislation if convicted, Yunus said.

Guards in the detention center were interviewed and the cell was investigated as part of the death investigation, the BBC reported , citing the police.

Representatives of the French Embassy were not available for remarks.