A 19-year-old man, identified as Massoud S, faced allegations of sexually abusing five goats and a six-month-old lamb at an animal sanctuary in Pennes-Mirabeau, near Marseille, France. During his trial at Aix-en-Provence courthouse, he refuted the accusations despite being caught by the police behind a goat with his pants down at Le Refuge d’un Moment animal sanctuary.

Despite the presence of DNA evidence and his apprehension during the incident, the defendant continuously asserted his innocence. He tried to justify his actions by claiming that he missed his train back to Marseille and had to spend the night at the sanctuary due to its proximity to the train station.

The animal sanctuary’s owner, Cassandra Sortino, mentioned that staff noticed suspicious signs on the animals, including rope marks on their legs, vulva injuries, and traces of blood. Following these discoveries, CCTV cameras were installed, capturing a man’s silhouette multiple times before the alleged abuse was confirmed the next day.

Originally from Afghanistan, Massoud S stated that he arrived in France in November 2025 after losing his family to wartime bombings, leading to significant mental health issues. Despite undergoing a psychiatric evaluation while in detention, where he downplayed the severity of his actions by referring to the animals as just that, animals, he received a 30-month prison sentence, was deported from French territory, and was listed as a sexual and violent offender.

Cassandra Sortino expressed ongoing struggles in coping with the situation, stating, “We can’t explain it morally. We feel like we’ve failed.”