Ex-surgeon accused of molesting 349 young children over decades
● Judge closes proceedings to public so victims can speak more freely
A retired surgeon accused of sexually abusing as many as 349 young children over decades – primarily his patients, in their hospital rooms – is facing justice in the worst such case to come to light in France.
The trial that began yesterday in the western city of Saintes concerns four people allegedly targeted by Joel Le Scouarnec, 69, including two of his nieces.
Other legal complaints against the doctor have piled up since the original investigation finished. Prosecutors are preparing further action after this trial.
In a pinched, quiet voice, Le Scouarnec identified himself to the judge as the proceedings opened. His face held a closed, emotionless expression.
The judge then decided to close the proceedings to the public, exceptionally, at the request of defence lawyers, who said Le Scouarnec would speak more freely that way. Some families of victims protested against the move, saying the public should hear what the doctor had done.
The first case reached investigators in 2017 when a sixyear-old neighbour told her mother that Le Scouarnec exposed himself and molested her across the fence between their properties.
In searching Le Scouarnec’s home, investigators uncovered more than 300,000 images of child and other pornography, as well as extensive notebooks where the surgeon detailed sexual violence against both girls and boys from 1989 to 2017. Next to each child’s name were comments on the nature of the sexual acts inflicted, according to investigators. Le Scouarnec admitted to police that he had “already acted out” with children, including his nieces. He said he set limits for himself and denied any full penetration. He claimed his diaries included an element of fantasy.
Le Scouarnec’s lawyer Thibault Kurzawa said the doctor “intends to explain himself freely” to the court.
The regional prosecutor, Laureline Peyrefitte, told a news conference in December the number of “potential victims of Le Scouarnec’s actions” had reached 349 by that point.
Gendarmes questioned 229 of the people named in the notebooks and, by this month, 200 had filed formal complaints, the prosecutor’s office said. However, many incidents occurred too long ago to prosecute.
Investigators say that under cover of medical acts, the doctor sexually took advantage of children as soon as they were alone in the hospital room. They say his strategy was to pass off sexual violence as a professional gesture.