Francois Camille Abello was found unresponsive in his prison cell last week in Jakarta, Indonesia. Abello failed to recover and passed away after receiving treatment at a hospital. The Frenchman had been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing hundreds of children in Indonesia. The alleged paedophile could have faced the firing squad if convicted. It is suspected that Abello had taken his own life before being served justice.

Abello had been in a prison in Jakarta awaiting his hearing for the sexual exploitation of over 300 children. On Thursday evening, July 9, prison guards found Abello in his prison cell with a cable tied around his neck. The guards found Abello unresponsive but still alive. He was taken to Kramat Jati Police Hospital in East Jakarta.

Over the next three days, Abello went under treatment at the hospital. However, he was unable to recover. He passed away on Sunday, July 12 at around 8 p.m. local time. On Monday, Head of Metro Jaya Police Public Relations office Kombes Yusri Yunus revealed that the alleged child abuser had passed away.

The 65-year-old Frenchman was arrested in June at a hotel in Taman Sari district, West Jakarta. According to The Kompas, Abello was reportedly found with two minor girls at Hotel PP Kawasan Taman Sari. After his arrest, the police seized Abello's laptop as evidence. Abello was initially placed in the custody of regional police before being handed over to the Jakarta Metropolitan Police.

An investigation by the Jakarta Metropolitan Police revealed that the pervert had abused more than 300 children in Indonesia. Abello mainly targeted poor children whom he found on the streets. He approached them claiming to be a photographer. He offered the children money in exchange for a photoshoot.

He took the children to his hotel room where he prepared them for the photoshoot and then proceeded to rape them. He forced the children to have sexual intercourse with him and those who refused were assaulted. After abusing the children, he reportedly gave them between 250k and 1m Indonesian rupiah (£14-£56). He recorded the abuse using hidden cameras which he rigged in the room.

The police found 305 videos of child abuse on Abello's laptop. In the room, they found six memory cards, 20 contraceptives, two vibrators, six cameras and 21 items of clothing which Abello's victims wore. The police were able to track down around 17 victims, all between the ages of 10 and 17.

For the multiple counts of child abuse, Abello could have faced life imprisonment or the firing squad.

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Alleged paedophile was found dead in his prison cell. (representational image) Justin Sullivan/ Getty Images

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