VANNES, France — A former surgeon is slated to be tried in France starting Monday, facing serious charges of rape and sexual abuse involving 299 victims, the majority being children who were his patients. This horrific case, which spans over thirty years, reflects a deeply troubling pattern of violence as detailed by investigators and the defendant’s own notebooks.
Joël Le Scouarnec, who is now 74 years old, will confront numerous victims throughout a lengthy four-month trial held in Vannes, located in Brittany. If found guilty, he could receive a prison sentence of up to 20 years, in addition to the 15 years he is already serving for previous convictions of child rape and sexual assault from 2020. While he does not dispute the allegations, he claims he cannot recall all details of his actions, and many survivors lack memory of the assaults, having been unconscious during the incidents.
This trial occurs amidst a growing movement in France aimed at breaking the silence surrounding sexual abuse. One notable case that has drawn attention is that of Gisèle Pélicot, who was drugged and raped by her former husband and several other men, leading to prison sentences that ranged from three to 20 years for the offenders.
Advocacy groups focusing on child protection and women’s rights, along with affiliated medical associations, have organized a rally scheduled for Monday outside the courthouse where Le Scouarnec will be prosecuted. This case traces back to 2017 when a 6-year-old girl reported that he had touched her inappropriately over a fence separating their homes.
Investigations following this report uncovered a shocking trove of evidence at his residence, including over 300,000 photographs and 650 videos pertaining to pedophilia, zoophilia, and scatology. Furthermore, notebooks detailing his activities and thoughts identified him as a pedophile. In 2020, he was convicted for raping and sexually assaulting four children, which included two of his own nieces, leading to a 15-year prison sentence. He confessed to abuse reaching back as far as 1985-1986, although some allegations could not be prosecuted due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
The upcoming trial in Vannes will scrutinize specific incidents of alleged rape and abuse that took place between 1989 and 2014, affecting 158 males and 141 females, who were, on average, around 11 years old at the time. The allegations indicate that he abused both boys and girls when they were alone in their hospital rooms.
One victim, Amélie Lévêque, recalled her experience in the hospital at the age of 9 in 1991, stating, “I didn’t really remember the operation. I remembered the post-operation, a surgeon who was quite mean. I cried a lot.” Years later, Lévêque recounted her distress upon discovering her name in Le Scouarnec’s notebooks, remarking that it was the catalyst for confronting a lifetime of unanswered questions, plunging her into a state of despair and depression. “I felt like I had lost control of everything. I wasn’t crazy, but now I had to face the truth of what had happened,” she shared with a public broadcaster.
Le Scouarnec’s lawyer, Thibaut Kurzawa, stated that his client is prepared to address the judges’ inquiries, emphasizing his intention to confront the reality of the allegations. Already in 2005, Le Scouarnec faced legal repercussions for possessing and importing child sexual abuse media, resulting in a four-month suspended sentence. Strikingly, he was appointed as a hospital practitioner just a year later despite this conviction.
Various child protection organizations have intervened in this case as civil parties, aiming to influence the legal framework to enhance protections against such abuses going forward.
