Former French Surgeon Faces 20-Year Sentence in Landmark Child Abuse Trial
A former French surgeon is expected to receive a 20-year prison sentence on Wednesday for the sexual abuse of hundreds of young patients, marking the conclusion of the largest child abuse trial in French history.
Joël Le Scouarnec, 74, practiced as a digestive surgeon in both public and private hospitals across Brittany and western France, often treating children for conditions such as appendicitis.
Over a three-month trial held in Vannes, Brittany, Le Scouarnec was accused of committing 111 rapes and 189 sexual assaults between 1989 and 2014, across a dozen different hospitals. Many of his victims were under the age of 15 — some unconscious under anesthesia, others just regaining consciousness after surgery. Some children were even assaulted in their hospital beds. The average age of his victims was 11.
In court, Le Scouarnec confessed to all of the crimes. In his closing statement, he told the court: “I am not asking for leniency.” Earlier in the proceedings, he acknowledged: “I was a surgeon who took advantage of my position to abuse children. I do not deny that.” Court-ordered psychological evaluations concluded that he continues to pose a serious danger.
