Former French surgeon faces trial For Rape of 300 patients

French Surgeon Faces Trial for Alleged Abuse of Hundreds of Patients

A highly disturbing case is set to come to a head in a French court later this month, as a former surgeon, Joel Le Scouarnec, is to stand trial over allegations of rape and sexual assault involving nearly 300 patients, the majority of whom were children.

The 74-year-old, who worked at various medical institutions across western France between 1989 and 2014, has acknowledged his involvement in many of the alleged incidents and his strategies for concealing his actions. However, his lawyers claim that his state of mind has not changed, and he intends to defend himself and provide explanations for his behaviour.

According to the regional prosecutor, Stephane Kellenberger, Le Scouarnec allegedly committed multiple counts of rape and sexual assault, many of which took place while his patients were minors, with some as young as one year old. The average age of the victims is 11, and in total, 256 out of the 299 alleged victims were under 15.

The trial, which is set to begin on February 24, is expected to have a significant impact, both domestically and internationally. It comes just two months after the conviction of Dominique Pelicot, a Frenchman who was found guilty of enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his sedated wife.

Le Scouarnec’s actions, which are alleged to have been carried out over a period of 25 years, will be scrutinized in detail during the trial. The court will also examine the handling of the case by medical institutions and authorities, who are accused of failing to prevent the abuse and taking inadequate action to address the situation.

The trial will be held in public, but testimony from seven victims who were targeted as minors will be given behind closed doors in order to protect their identities. Le Scouarnec faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted.

In 2017, the investigation into Le Scouarnec’s activities began after a six-year-old girl alleged that he had raped her. This led to the discovery of a pattern of abuse, including the assault of his nieces and a four-year-old patient, for which he was handed a 15-year prison sentence in 2020.

When his home was searched, officials found a disturbing collection of evidence, including dozens of dolls used as sex toys and 300,000 pornographic images. Le Scouarnec also kept a record of his victims, in some cases including those he had assaulted on the operating table.

Le Scouarnec was initially convicted of downloading child sexual abuse images in 2005, but his sentence was suspended, and he continued to work as a surgeon. It wasn’t until 2017, when the allegations surfaced, that he was removed from the medical register.

However, a parallel investigation has been opened into the actions of officials, including the judicial authorities and the ministry of health, for allegedly failing to prevent the abuse and protect his victims. Le Scouarnec’s ex-wife has spoken out about the alleged abuse, saying that she had caught him staring at young neighbours but had never suspected that he was capable of such crimes.

The trial is being supported by children’s rights association La Voix de l’Enfant, which has filed a complaint against the judicial authorities and the ministry of health for allegedly endangering the lives of others.