INFO LA DEPECHE. The incredible story of the “guru of Comminges”, tried before the criminal court for rape and abuse of weakness

Resisting Olivier Freyre amounted, in his words, to defying divine will. Nine years after the dissolution of his spiritual community in Comminges, this individual, considered a guru, will be tried for rape and sexual assault on two victims as well as for abuse of weakness. His trial opens on January 17 before the Haute-Garonne criminal court.

This 44-year-old man was born in Switzerland, before traveling to Australia. “He is a charismatic, seductive man. He came back transformed, almost enlightened from his stay in Oceania,” confides one of his former relatives. Convinced of his divine mission, Olivier Freyre became a pastor and founded “L'Espoir”, a strictly functioning community, in 2009. He settled in Ganties, south of Toulouse, and soon attracted dozens of people, mostly vulnerable. Members are subject to regular fasts, must share their secrets and finance the sect through donations. Cell phones and the internet are banned, and those who dare to challenge his authority are deprived of sleep for several days in a row. Between 2009 and 2016, L'Espoir collected nearly a million euros reinvested in housing in the village where fans and visitors live.

Authorization required to see one’s own family…

During the first years, the partisans obeyed without reservation the rules imposed by Freyre. Then some begin to complain about violence committed against minors. Some children are hit with wooden spoons, others are pushed against the walls. “He also attacked adults. As he knew all our secrets, Olivier used them to humiliate us, reframe us and exert his influence,” adds a former member of the spiritual association.

According to the various testimonies collected by the Saint-Gaudens gendarmerie, children were out of school, drug treatments were not recommended, and most members were only entitled to an annual authorization to visit their own family.

One of his loyal followers commits suicide after the dissolution of the community

In 2016, the preacher's decline accelerated, marked by new reports and the loss of his authority. Already in the sights of the prefecture of Haute-Garonne and Miviludes, the Swiss is now accused of adultery. A sin that its followers do not forgive. His dominance wavered, and several complaints were filed with the gendarmerie. Two women accuse him of having forced them into repeated sexual relations, under cover of his divine status.

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An evangelical community in Comminges dissolved amid serious accusations

The prosecution finally opened a judicial investigation in 2017. During the investigations, the military interviewed dozens of former fanatics who confirmed the doubts. In addition to the accusations of sexual assault, investigators are closely examining the community's hidden financing. The bank accounts of the suspect and his association are analyzed. Hundreds of thousands of euros passed through, but very few went directly into the pocket of the “alleged guru”. During the investigation, L'Espoir closed definitively and the real estate was sold.

According to experts, the influence he exercised over his supporters was very strong. One of its most loyal followers, devastated by the dissolution of the community, tragically ended her life a few days after the prefectural decision.

Olivier Freyre was finally apprehended on May 22, 2018. During interrogations, the Swiss downplayed his spiritual role. Assisted by Sarah Nabet-Claverie and Alexandre Parra-Bruguière, the forty-year-old contests the rapes but recognizes the violence against his own children. He was indicted and briefly incarcerated before being placed under judicial supervision in 2019. Since that date, the man has settled in Drôme where he works.