In Alençon, a name has been circulating in hushed tones since the release of "Behind the Trees." In this book, Frédéric Pommier, a journalist and writer, recounts assaults he suffered during his childhood and claims to have been raped by four men. He also mentions, without naming him, a former member of parliament and mayor from Normandy, and the media machine quickly went into overdrive.
On Friday, April 17, Joaquim Pueyo, former member of parliament and former mayor of Alençon, chose to respond with a press release. His lawyer, Jérémy Kalfon, stated that "some media outlets have identified Mr. Joaquim Pueyo as the target of these accusations" and asserted that "these accusations are false." The lawyer added that they run counter to "the values and commitments upheld by Mr. Pueyo for many years," a way of highlighting his well-known local political career and the public image he intends to defend.
On the legal front, a complaint was filed by Frédéric Pommier for rape that allegedly occurred in the Orne region in 1982-1983, according to the Caen prosecutor. The prosecutor's office dismissed the case on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired. Speaking on France Inter radio, the author summed up in a single sentence what many feel in these kinds of cases, when the law stops but the story continues: "The statute of limitations has expired, but it will never expire in my book."
Judicial statute of limitations, public explosion
Statute of limitations, public uproar: The case is playing out on two stages, and they don't speak the same language. The courts argue for the statute of limitations, meaning it's impossible to prosecute past events today, while the public sphere focuses on the testimony and the shockwave it generates. In a city where everyone knows everyone else, the effect is immediate, rumors spread quickly, and reputation never waits for the end of a case.
Mr. Kalfon clarifies that his client nevertheless appeared for a hearing and a confrontation with Frédéric Pommier "in order to try to understand the basis of these accusations," even though the statute of limitations "in no way required him to do so." Frédéric Pommier indicates that he obtained this confrontation, organized by investigators in early 2026. This late and congested timeline also illustrates the difficulty of investigating very old events, even when the procedure can no longer be completed.
There remains a local political backdrop that cannot be ignored: Joaquim Pueyo was mayor of Alençon from 2008 to 2017 and then again from 2020 to 2026, the city where Frédéric Pommier grew up. Between the words of an author who has written his story in a book and the firm denial of a former elected official, each side sticks to its position, and the debate shifts to this unstable ground where memory, notoriety, and justice don't quite align. In Alençon, as elsewhere, this kind of story leaves a lasting mark.
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