France.. 20 Years in Prison for Surgeon Who Sexually Assaulted 299 Child Patients
Continuing coverage
A French court today, Wednesday, sentenced a retired French surgeon to 20 years in prison after he confessed to sexually assaulting 299 patients, most of whom were minors.
In what is considered the largest child abuse trial in France, the retired doctor Joël Le Scouarnec, aged 74, admitted to assaulting 158 male patients and 141 female patients, with an average age of 11, during the period from 1989 to 2014.
The prosecution accused Joël of treating his victims as lifeless objects, showing no empathy, and exploiting his position as a doctor to commit these abuses.
The convicted surgeon often assaulted patients while they were under anesthesia or on children who were unaware that his actions constituted abuse.
This case has caused significant shock in France and raised questions about the failure of health authorities to stop the doctor earlier, especially since he had previously received a suspended sentence in 2005 for possessing child pornography.
