Retired French surgeon on trial for allegedly sexually abusing almost 300 children
A former surgeon accused of raping or sexually assaulting hundreds of young patients, some while they were under anesthetic, went on trial on Monday in France’s largest ever child sexual abuse case.Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, faces charges of aggravated rape and sexual assault against 299 victims, most of them children at the time, in a case that raises tough questions for France’s publicly run healthcare system, victims and rights groups say.Le Scouarnec was handed a suspended four-month jail sentence for possessing child pornography in 2005, but managed to secure a job as a surgeon at a public hospital in Quimperle, western France, the following year.He continued to work in public hospitals until his re-arrest in 2017 on suspicion of raping his 6-year-old neighbor.Police investigators searching his home found a cache of dolls, wigs and child pornography.They also discovered electronic diaries that appeared to detail his sexual assaults on scores of patients in hospitals across the region.In 2020, Le Scouarnec was found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of his child neighbor, as well as two of his nieces and a 4-year-old patient, and sentenced to 15 years in jail.Following further investigations into the alleged victims logged on his files, prosecutors eventually charged Le Scouarnec with the aggravated rape and sexual assault of 299 people.Prosecutors say Le Scouarnec has admitted to investigators many of the accusations he faces.
His lawyers declined to comment ahead of the trial.The trial takes place in Vannes, a small town in Brittany.Francois, a plaintiff in the case and who was 12 when Le Scouarnec allegedly abused him, said he hoped the case would provide much-needed answers.“I feel betrayed by authorities,” said Francois, who asked to be identified only by this name.“Why did nobody stop this surgeon from working with children?”The Health Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.Soon after Le Scouarnec secured a job at the Quimperle pu...