French Surgeon Faces Trial on Alleged Sexual Assaults

 A former French surgeon, Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, is set to stand trial later this month, accused of raping or sexually assaulting 299 patients, the majority of whom were children. The alleged crimes, spanning over 25 years, took place across multiple medical institutions in western France.

A Shocking Case with Global Attention

The trial, scheduled to begin on February 24 in Vannes, Brittany, is expected to have a profound impact in France and beyond. This case follows the recent conviction of Dominique Pelicot, who orchestrated the rape of his heavily sedated wife, a crime that sparked international outrage.

Unlike Pelicot’s case, where multiple perpetrators were involved, Le Scouarnec is the sole defendant. His charges include 111 rapes and 189 sexual assaults, many committed while his victims were unconscious. Prosecutors state that 256 of the victims were under the age of 15, with the youngest just one year old.

A Long History of Abuse

Le Scouarnec worked as a surgeon from 1989 to 2014, during which time he allegedly carried out the assaults. Authorities launched an investigation in 2017 after a six-year-old girl accused him of rape. The inquiry led to the discovery of previous offenses, including attacks on his own nieces and a four-year-old patient in the 1990s.

He was convicted in December 2020 and sentenced to 15 years in prison for these earlier crimes. However, further investigations uncovered hundreds of additional victims, many of whom were identified through detailed records he kept.

During a raid on his home, police found dozens of dolls used as sex toys and over 300,000 pornographic images. Le Scouarnec had meticulously documented his crimes, noting the names of victims—some of whom were assaulted while on the operating table.

Legal and Institutional Failures

One of the most alarming aspects of this case is the failure of institutions to intervene sooner. Despite being convicted in 2005 for downloading child sexual abuse material, Le Scouarnec continued practicing medicine. He even secured a promotion in a hospital despite his criminal record being known to management.

He remained employed in various hospitals until his retirement in 2017, highlighting systemic failures in France’s medical and legal systems. In response, French prosecutors have opened a separate investigation into whether officials failed to prevent these crimes.

The children’s rights organization La Voix de l’Enfant has also filed a complaint against the judicial authorities and the Ministry of Health, accusing them of endangering lives by allowing him to continue practicing.

A High-Stakes Trial

If convicted, Le Scouarnec faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as French law does not permit sentences to be combined for multiple victims.

The trial will be open to the public, though testimony from victims who were minors at the time of the assaults will be heard behind closed doors. Many victims, some of whom only recently became aware of their abuse, hope the proceedings will bring closure and justice.

Le Scouarnec’s lawyer has stated that his client intends to defend himself and explain his actions. His estranged wife, who divorced him in 2023, maintains that she had no prior suspicions, though she had once caught him “looking strangely” at children in their neighborhood.

The case has reignited debates over accountability in the medical profession and the effectiveness of safeguards to protect vulnerable patients.

The trial is expected to last four months, bringing one of France’s most disturbing abuse cases to light.

Source: Dawn