JAKARTA — A French national detained in Indonesia on charges of sexually abusing 305 minors has died in a Jakarta hospital, after what police said on Monday (July 13) was a suicide bid in his jail cell.

Francois Abello Camille, 65, died in a police hospital three days after attempting to kill himself, said Mr Yusri Yunus, a spokesman for police in the Indonesian capital.

"He had attempted suicide on Thursday, then after they (prison guards) found out, we tried to help him," Yunus added. "He died last night."

An autopsy has yet to be conducted. The French embassy in Jakarta declined to comment. Although police confirmed Camille had a lawyer, they did not identify him.

Camille was arrested at a Jakarta hotel last month following complaints to police that he made sexual advances to underage women after paying to photograph them. When refused, he became violent, police said.

Police said he was charged with counts of sexual abuse and sex with minors and had confessed to the offences. If found guilty, he would have faced life imprisonment, chemical castration or death. REUTERS