French animator sentenced for exploiting children

Content Warning: This article contains details of sexual abuse and exploitation. Reader discretion is advised.

A French court has sentenced Bouhalem Bouchiba, a former animator known for his work on beloved Pixar and Disney films, to 25 years in prison for orchestrating the livestreamed abuse of preteen girls in the Philippines. The court found the 59-year-old guilty of complicity in the rape of minors, human trafficking, and viewing child pornography.

During the trial, evidence revealed that from 2012 to 2021, Bouchiba directed the sexual abuse of girls aged five to ten by paying women in the Philippines to carry out the acts while he watched via livestream. Each session, which he referred to as "performances," cost between 50 to 100 euros ($54-$108), with Bouchiba reportedly spending over 50,000 euros in total. He admitted that the violence inflicted on the children resembled "torture."

Bouchiba, who had previously contributed to iconic films such as 'The Incredibles' and 'Ratatouille,' came under police scrutiny after Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, issued an alert about suspicious money transfers to the Philippines.

On 4 October 2021, while living in the United States, he was arrested at San Francisco's airport and subsequently extradited to France, where authorities noted he was already known to them for a 2009 conviction for the sexual abuse of his stepdaughter.

(Source: Anne Rolandin, AFP)