A suspect, confused by his DNA, was arrested on Friday in the investigation into a series of sexual assaults and rapes committed in Grenoble and its outskirts by a man riding a scooter, we learned on Saturday April 6.
“A suspect was taken into custody yesterday [vendredi] afternoon and the DNA expertise carried out urgently by the Lyon national police laboratory makes it possible to confuse him in one of the cases which the public prosecutor’s office has referred to the investigating judge.declared the public prosecutor of Grenoble, Eric Vaillant, in a message to the press. “A single rape can be reliably attributed to the suspect using DNA. At this stage the investigation continues into the other facts”he added.
The man, aged 22 and living in Fontaine, a town adjoining Grenoble, was identified by investigators from the local judicial police service, according to information from the regional daily The Dauphiné liberated, confirmed by the prosecutor. The Grenoble public prosecutor’s office announced that it would hold a press conference on the subject on Sunday following the appearance before the investigating judge.
Onset of psychosis
A judicial investigation was opened on March 29 for seven acts: two rapes, an attempted rape, a sexual assault and violence committed between February 8 and March 16. The investigation concerns, in detail, two rapes committed in Grenoble and Saint-Martin-d’Hères on March 11 and 16, an attempted rape on March 16 in Grenoble, a sexual assault and violence with a weapon on the 17th. February in Grenoble, an extortion attempt on February 8 in Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux and, the same day, violence in Grenoble, detailed Mr. Vaillant at the end of March.
Two other facts linked to these cases were ultimately dismissed by the prosecution and investigators. But according to information from Dauphiné released, confirmed by the prosecutor, an eighth case could be added to the list: a young woman attacked on the night of December 16 to 17, 2023, thinking she had been a victim of the same man, filed a complaint on Thursday.
This affair led to the beginnings of psychosis among the population, with women avoiding going out alone at night, according to local media. “The important and patient work of the numerous police officers mobilized in the search for the rapist has paid off”underlined the prosecutor.
According to the testimonies collected, the attacker acted alone. Dressed in black, riding a black scooter, he spotted his victims and followed them before attacking them, the prosecutor explained at the end of March. Mr. Vaillant had described “a 20-year-old man, European type, without accent, around 1.70 m tall and of normal or even slightly plump build, brown eyes, pale complexion and rather red hair”.
“The broadcast of the rapist’s report allowed the police to collect several dozen testimonies which are processed by investigators diligently”declared the prosecutor last week. “The magistrates of the Grenoble public prosecutor’s office and all the police officers are heavily involved in this investigation”he assured.