VANNES, France, Feb 17 (Alliance News): Former French surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, will stand trial later this month on charges of raping or sexually assaulting nearly 300 former patients, most of them children, over 25 years.
The four-month trial, set to begin on February 24 in Vannes, is expected to draw global attention due to the sheer scale of the alleged crimes.
Le Scouarnec, accused of abusing unconscious patients during medical procedures, faces charges of 111 rapes and 189 sexual assaults.
Investigators say 256 of the 299 victims were under the age of 15, with the youngest reportedly just one year old. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years due to French laws preventing cumulative sentencing.
Authorities launched an investigation in 2017 after a six-year-old girl accused him of rape, leading to the discovery of a hidden record of victims and 300,000 pornographic images in his home.
Already serving a 15-year sentence for raping four children, he was found to have continued practicing medicine despite a 2005 conviction for possessing child abuse images.
The trial, which will include testimony from victims behind closed doors, also raises questions about institutional failures. Children’s rights groups have filed complaints against judicial and health authorities for allowing him to continue working despite prior convictions.
Victims and advocacy groups hope the trial will bring justice and accountability, shedding light on how one of France’s worst child abuse cases went undetected for decades.
