NETFLIX viewers have had to switch off a harrowing child abuse documentary which is “too vile” to watch.
The Outreau Case: A French Nightmare premiered on Netflix this week.
The Outreau Case is well-known in French history
The new series documents one of France’s most high-profile court cases, looking back at major mistakes that were made leading to wrongful convictions.
“The true crime docu series The Outreau Case: a French Nightmare delves into one of France’s biggest judicial tragedies,” the official synopsis teases.
It continues: “In the early 2000s, in northern France, the young Judge Burgaud is in charge of investigating accusations of paedophilia in a family. But the case becomes increasingly complex as the investigation moves ahead, when other inhabitants of the town appear to also be involved.
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“Between accusation and counter-accusations, the legal machine entangles.”
The Outreau Case tells the story of a criminal case of paedophilia, which took place between 1997 and 2000 in Outreau in northern France and the following legal proceedings.
The investigation began after several schoolteachers and social workers noticed “strange behaviour” from four children of the Delay-Badaoui family, leading to an investigation into potential sexual abuse.
After the children then started sharing details of what they were being subjected to, their parents, Thierry Delay and Myriam Badaoui, confessed.
However, the couple pointed the finger at a number of their friends and neighbours who they claimed had also abused their four sons, then aged between seven and 11.
Among the 18 suspects were a priest who lived in their apartment building, a court bailiff from a neighbouring town, his wife, a taxi driver and a labourer and his son.
The four-part series documents the investigation and trial through archival footage, interviews with one of the victims, and expert analysis to reveal what really happened in the early 2000s.
It then goes on to explain how a series of trials resulted in wrongful convictions, widespread media attention, and public outrage.
But Netflix viewers found it hard to stomach
Some Netflix viewers have only made it partway through the series as they’ve been forced to switch off because of the graphic details of the sexual abuse which are included.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, to discuss the shocking series, one viewer admitted they switched off during the first ten minutes.
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Another agreed that the series was just “too vile” to watch as a third admitted they “almost threw up” watching certain scenes.
“Just started watching The Outreau Case: A French Nightmare on Netflix and the sheer depravity of what’s unfolding on my screen has left me speechless,” a fourth viewer added.
While a fifth said: “I started watching the Outreau case on Netflix… let me tell you there is not a single trigger warning that could prepare u for what those kids said happened to them I had to turn that s*** off. MY GOODNESS.”
But those who managed to make it through the four-part series have praised it for highlighting huge failings in the court proceedings of such a high-profile case.
The Outreau Case was one of the biggest criminal proceedings in France at its time, and the courtroom was packed with onlookers from around the country.
However, the documentary proves there were major failings in the judicial process.
The Outreau Case: A French Nightmare is now streaming on Netflix.
