Paedophile French surgeon on trial for abusing almost 300 patients admits to most charges
Joel Le Scouarnec documented details of his sexual assaults on patients in electronic diaries and described himself as a "major pervert" and a "paedophile".
Members of women's collectives, doctors, non-governmental organisations and unions demonstrate in front of the courthouse on the opening day of the trial, where French ex-surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec is accused of aggravated rape and sexual assault against hundreds of children over three decades, at the courthouse in Vannes, Brittany, France, on Feb 24, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Stephane Mahe)
VANNES: A former surgeon accused of raping or sexually assaulting hundreds of young patients, some while they were under anaesthetic, has admitted guilt in a "vast majority" of those cases, his lawyer said on Monday (Feb 24).
Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, faces charges of aggravated rape and sexual assault against 299 victims, most of them children at the time, in a case that raises tough questions for France's publicly run healthcare system, victims and rights groups say.
"The defendant admits responsibility for a vast majority of the acts" for which he has been charged, his lawyer Maxime Tessier said on the first day of the four-month trial.
The trial takes place in Vannes, a small town in Brittany.
Le Scouarnec was handed a suspended four-month jail sentence for possessing child pornography in 2005 but managed to secure a job as a surgeon at a public hospital in Quimperle, western France, the following year.
He continued to work in public hospitals until his re-arrest in 2017 on suspicion of raping his six-year-old neighbour. Police investigators searching his home found a cache of dolls, wigs and child pornography. They also discovered electronic diaries that appeared to detail his sexual assaults on scores of patients in hospitals across the region. The entries included his victims' names, ages and addresses as well as the nature of the abuse.Â
The doctor also described himself as a "major pervert" and a "paedophile" in his notes. Â
"And I am very happy about it," he recorded.
In 2020, Le Scouarnec was found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of his child neighbour, as well as two of his nieces and a four-year-old patient, and sentenced to 15 years in jail.
Following further investigations into the alleged victims logged on his files, prosecutors eventually charged Le Scouarnec with the aggravated rape and sexual assault of 299 people.
Francois, a plaintiff in the case and who was 12 when Le Scouarnec allegedly abused him, said he hoped the case would provide much-needed answers.
"I feel betrayed by authorities," said Francois, who asked to be identified only by this name. "Why did nobody stop this surgeon from working with children?"
The health ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
WARNINGS IGNORED
Soon after Le Scouarnec secured a job at the Quimperle public hospital in 2006, a psychiatrist at the hospital alerted management to their concerns about the surgeon's behaviour, a court document showed.
Le Scouarnec continued to work with children.
The Quimperle hospital did not respond to requests for comment on why Le Scouarnec was hired after being convicted of holding child pornography and why he was able to keep working after the psychiatrist raised their concerns.
The Lorient prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger, whose office led the investigation into Le Scouarnec's alleged crimes, has opened a separate probe into the possible criminal liability of other public bodies or individuals who could have prevented the abuse.
"There is no way that somebody can rape and assault children for all those years without the knowing of people around. No way," said Homayra Sellier, head of rights group Innocence in Danger, which is supporting 40 alleged victims and is a plaintiff in the case.
The health ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
The National Council of the Order of Physicians (CNOM), which oversees adherence to doctors' code of ethics in France and has the power to discipline medics, declined to comment.
CNOM's local branch in the Finistere administrative department, which court documents show was aware of Le Scouarnec's 2005 conviction, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
If convicted, Le Scouarnec faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. French law does not allow sentences to be added together even when there are multiple victims.
