Porn row in court after shop sells sex toys near school
A PARIS court is to rule on whether sex toys are pornographic after religious groups argued that the sale of the items 100 yards from a school breaks French law.
Catholic religious groups protested against '1969 -- Curiosites Desirables', a "love shop" in Paris, a stone's throw from the Saint-Merrie primary and secondary school.
The shop's manager, Nicolas Busnel (41), faces up to two years in jail and a €30,000 fine if found guilty. The religious groups are demanding an extra €20,000 in damages.
The law on the protection of children forbids a business that sells or displays "pornographic" objects from operating within 200 metres of an "educational establishment".
However, the law offers no exhaustive definition of what such objects are.
Love
Catholic groups CNAF and CLER Amour et Famille contend that objects which concerned only physiological acts -- without any reference to love or sentiment -- had been ruled pornographic in a previous case.
Henri de Beauregard, their lawyer, said that the shop sold items that simulated sexual acts "so I don't see how these cannot be pornographic".
"There are as many possible definitions of pornography as there are individuals," countered defence lawyer Richard Malka.
Mr Malka argued that the law used to prosecute his client was anti-constitutional. The court rejected this claim.
He said research into 200m perimeters around schools showed that the "only place this type of business could still set up shop would be cemeteries, public gardens and railways".
The trial continues.
- Henry Samuel in Paris
Irish Independent
