French PM's daughter alleges Catholic school priest punched, kicked her
What's the story
Helene Perlant, daughter of French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, has alleged brutal mistreatment at a private Catholic school, which is at the center of a massive sexual abuse scandal that has shocked the country.
Perlant told Paris Match that during a summer camp in the 1980s, she was beaten up by a senior priest at Notre-Dame de Betharram school.
She said she has never told her father about the assault that took place when she was 14.
Scandal details
Allegations of abuse and cover-up
Over 200 complaints have been filed against the priests and other staff of the school since February last year, alleging physical or sexual abuse from 1957 to 2004.
Ninety of them allege sexual violence, including one case of group rape by two priests.
Two complaints led to charges against a former supervisor for alleged sexual assault of a minor in 2004 and alleged rape of a minor from 1991 to 1994, while some have passed the time limit for prosecution.
Denial
Bayrou denies knowledge of abuse allegations
Bayrou, whose three children studied at the school and wife taught catechism there, has consistently denied knowledge of the abuse.
Perlant's story is part of a book by victims that will be published this week.
"One night when we were unpacking our sleeping bags, [Father] Lartiguet suddenly grabbed me by the hair, dragged me across the floor for several metres, then punched and kicked me all over, especially in the stomach."
Story
'I wanted to protect my father'
The acts of violence left her "full of bruises" and with "severe tinnitus."
She went on to say that the school was organized like a "sect or a totalitarian regime, putting psychological pressure on pupils and teachers so they stayed silent."
"I kept quiet about it for 30 years,...Perhaps unconsciously I wanted to protect my father from political blows he was receiving locally," she said.
Response
Bayrou refutes claims of intervention in abuse case
Responding to the allegations, Bayrou said, "I was never informed of anything to do with violence, or sexual violence."
He also alleged that an "artificial controversy" was being mounted against him.
However, two people close to Bayrou said the prime minister was in a state of "intense emotion" and "shock" after learning about the incident, the Politico reported.