French court to rule on surgeon who assaulted over 300 patients
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Joel Le Scouarnec, a retired French surgeon, faces a verdict after admitting to sexually abusing nearly 300 patients over two decades in France's largest abuse case.
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A drawing of Joel Le Scouarnec, undated (Benoit Peyrucq/AFP via Getty)
A French court is expected to deliver its verdict on Wednesday in the trial of Joel Le Scouarnec, a retired surgeon who has admitted to sexually abusing nearly 300 patients over more than two decades. The case is one of the largest child sex abuse scandals in France’s modern history.
Le Scouarnec, 74, is already serving a 15-year sentence issued in 2020 for raping and sexually assaulting four minors, including two of his nieces. In the current trial, which began in February, he has confessed to the rape or sexual assault of 299 patients, 256 of whom were under the age of 15.
The offenses took place in hospitals across western France between 1989 and 2014, often while the victims were under anaesthesia or regaining consciousness after surgery.
The former surgeon is formally charged with 111 rapes and 189 sexual assaults and approximately 60 lawyers have represented the victims throughout the proceedings.
“I hope the verdict will be commensurate with the horrors he committed,” said Amelie Leveque, one of the victims. “But I don’t believe it very much,” she added.
Admissions of abuse: Nearly 300 victims identified
The retired doctor maintained detailed documentation of his crimes, recording the names, ages, addresses, and nature of the abuse inflicted on his victims. In his notes, Le Scouarnec described himself as a "major pervert" and a "paedophile," adding, "And I am very happy about it."
During his closing statement in the courtroom in Vannes, Brittany, Le Scouarnec stated, "I am not asking the court for leniency… Simply grant me the right to become a better person."
Despite his repeated apologies during the trial, many victims questioned the sincerity of his remorse, noting that his apologies were often delivered mechanically and repetitively. "You are the worst mass paedophile who ever lived," said Thomas Delaby, one of the victims’ lawyers, who called him the "atomic bomb of paedophilia."
Moreover, Prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger requested the maximum sentence of 20 years for the convicted surgeon. Additionally, he has made the rare recommendation that Le Scouarnec be placed under strict supervision and treatment even after the completion of any sentence, a request that underscores the severity of the case.
Under French law, sentences cannot be added consecutively even in cases involving numerous victims. One of the victims’ lawyers, Maxime Tessier, called on the court to consider the "exceptional" nature of Le Scouarnec’s confession, in which he admitted to all charges brought against him.
The presiding judge, Aude Buresi, is expected to announce the verdict at noon local time (1000 GMT).
Legal and social impact
Victims and child protection advocates argued that the Le Scouarnec case highlights major systemic failures that allowed such crimes to persist for decades without effective intervention. Despite a prior conviction in 2005 for possessing sexually abusive images of children and complaints from colleagues, Le Scouarnec continued practicing until his retirement in 2017.
In a particularly disturbing element of the case, Le Scouarnec has also stated that he feels "responsible" for the deaths of two of his victims. One of them, Mathis Vinet, died from an overdose in 2021 in what his family believes was suicide. Another victim was found dead in 2020.
The public prosecutor’s office in Lorient has launched two new investigations related to Le Scouarnec. One of these inquiries concerns previously unidentified or newly reported victims of sexual assault and rape, suggesting that the full extent of the crimes may still not be known.
