Former Surgeon Accused of Abusing 299 Young Patients' Admits 'Responsibility' for 'Majority' of Charges as Trial Begins: Reports

Mar. 15, 2025

A court sketch of Joël Le Scouarnec in 2020.Photo:BENOIT PEYRUCQ/AFP via Getty

BENOIT PEYRUCQ/AFP via Getty

A former surgeon’s court case has begun after he wasaccused of raping and sexually assaulting hundreds of minorsin what is thought to be France’s largest-ever child sex abuse trial.

Joël Le Scouarnec, 74, is taking the stand in the commune of Vannes, in the Brittany region of northwest France, where the suspect will likely face hundreds of victims, per theAssociated Press.

On Monday, Feb 24, Judge Aude Buresi declared the hearing open as the suspect took his place in the dock, per theAgence France-Presse(AFP). As Le Scouarnec took the stand, one of his lawyers, Maxime Tessier, said his client had admitted “responsibility for a vast majority of the acts,” he was accused of, perRTE.

According to French outletLe Monde, the suspect has been accused of assaulting 299 children between 1989 and 2014. The majority of the alleged victims are former patients of Le Scouarnec, many of whom were allegedly assaulted while under anesthesia, with most cases occurring in Brittany, per theBBC.

During the trial, which is expected to last four months, the court will examine alleged rapes and abuse on 158 men and 141 women, per the AP. The alleged victims were an average age of 11 at the time.

The court is pictured on the opening day of the trial on February 24, 2025.DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty

DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty

The oldest alleged victims are now almost 50, while the youngest is 17, according toCNN. The outlet also noted that the abuse reportedly took place in 10 hospitals and clinics.

If convicted, Le Scouarnec faces up to 20 years in prison in addition to the 15 he’s already serving for the rape and sexual abuse of four children.

A court sketch of Joël Le Scouarnec on Feb. 24, 2025.BENOIT PEYRUCQ/AFP via Getty

In December 2020,France 24reported on the sentencing after Le Scouarnec was charged in 2017 following a testimony from his neighbor’s 6-year-old daughter, who was one of his victims, citing the AFP.

The investigation revealed he’d raped two of his nieces between 1989 and 1999, as well as a then 4-year-old hospital patient in 1993, per the news agency.

It was reported at the time that police had uncovered more than 300,000 “indecent images of minors, including pictures of his two nieces,” per France 24. The suspect admitted raping his nieces during the trial, who were aged 35 and 30 at the time of the 2020 hearing.

One of Joël Le Scouarnec’s lawyers, Maxime Tessier, arrives at the court.DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty

In addition to child abuse images, police also found child-sized sex dolls and diaries containing details of the alleged abuse over the course of 25 years, according to the BBC. Le Scouarnec claimed the diaries contained “fantasies,” not real-life accounts. He also allegedly wrote “I am a pedophile” multiple times, per the outlet.

Lawyer Francesca Satta, who is representing several of the alleged victims, told CNN ahead of Monday’s trial, “Why are some of my victims speaking out in the press?"

“It’s because they’re part of this movement that silence is no longer an option,” Satta added, per the outlet.

Courtroom files are pictured on the opening day of Joël Le Scouarnec’s trial on February 24, 2025.DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty

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If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.

source: people.com