Surgeon convicted for sexually abusing over 200 patients in France receives a 20-year prison sentence.
French Court Sentences Notorious Surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec to 20 Years for Sexual Assault of Hundreds of Children
PARIS - A 74-year-old former surgeon, Joel Le Scouarnec, was handed a maximum 20-year prison sentence on Wednesday by a French court for the sexual assault of 299 victims, predominantly children, over a span of more than two decades.
Le Scouarnec admitted to the rapes and sexual assaults, which occurred between 1989 and 2014, mostly involving unconscious or sedated hospital patients, with an average age of 11. The accused, already serving a 15-year prison sentence following a 2020 conviction for the abuse of four children, including two nieces, will serve the additional years only after the completion of the initial sentence.
In the criminal court of Morbihan, Western France, judges upheld the public prosecutor's recommendations regarding the length of the sentence. Le Scouarnec is required to serve at least two-thirds of the sentence before he becomes eligible for release.
Solène Podevin Favre, president of an advocacy group for child victims of incest and sexual crimes, expressed disappointment that post-sentence preventive detention was not imposed. "This might have been a lenient verdict," she said, noting that, potentially, Le Scouarnec could be freed in six years.
Health authorities have faced accusations of inaction for failing to suspend Le Scouarnec's medical license and limit his contact with children after they were informed of his 2005 conviction for possessing child pornography pictures. Le Scouarnec continued his abuse in hospitals until his arrest in 2017.
The trial, which exposed a pattern of abuse, has prompted calls to strengthen France's legal framework to prevent such cases. Critics argue that authorities have not paid enough attention to the victims, while activists strive to dismantle longstanding taboos surrounding sexual abuse in France.
A notable case is that of Gisèle Pélicot, who was drugged and raped by her ex-husband and dozens of other men, convicted and sentenced in December to three to 20 years in prison. Meanwhile, an inquiry commission of the National Assembly investigates allegations of physical and sexual abuse at a Catholic school over five decades.
At the heart of the prosecution's case are Le Scouarnec's detailed notebooks, meticulously documenting his crimes. Not all victims were initially aware of their abuse, with some discovering their ordeals only after seeing their names in the journals or following medical record checks. Two victims took their own lives before the trial.
Le Scouarnec calmly and composedly maintained his composure throughout the trial, despite the extensive allegations against him. The former abdominal and digestive surgeon disguised sexual abuse as clinical care, targeting young patients he believed would be unlikely to remember the encounters.
While Le Scouarnec offered apologies to some victims, many deemed his demeanor cold and detached. "I don't show emotion," he said, "That doesn't mean I don't feel it, but I don't express it." The accused, who confessed to his first act of abuse in 1985, blamed his fantasies for driving him to prey on his victims.
A third trial is expected in the coming years, with further allegations appearing during this trial, including further abuse involving his granddaughter.
Originally written by Vaux-Montagny and Petrequin for the Associated Press.
Relevant findings:
- The authorities did not act swiftly following Le Scouarnec's 2005 conviction for possessing child pornography. The exact reasons for this are not explicitly stated, but it may have resulted from procedural and regulatory factors within the French medical licensing system and the nature and timing of his offenses and convictions. (Enrichment Data)
- Critics argue that France's legal framework should be strengthened to prevent cases like Joel Le Scouarnec's, who was sentenced to 20 years for sexual assault of hundreds of children, due to a perception that authorities have not paid enough attention to the victims.
- Health authorities have faced accusations of inaction for failing to suspend Le Scouarnec's medical license and limit his contact with children, despite being informed of his 2005 conviction for possessing child pornography pictures.
- A third trial is expected in the coming years, involving further allegations against Le Scouarnec, including abuse involving his granddaughter.
- Some medical-conditions, such as sexual-health issues, are often accompanied by longstanding taboos and have not been adequately addressed, as seen in the case of France's sexual abuse victims.
- The general-news coverage of the trial featuring Joel Le Scouarnec exposed a pattern of abuse in the healthcare system, leading to calls for increased vigilance and improved regulations in the business-related field of real estate and medical-related sectors like healthcare-and-wellness.
- Crime-and-justice experts have expressed concerns that Le Scouarnec's criminal history of abuse was not thoroughly investigated earlier, pointing to potential flaws in the government's law enforcement strategies and procedures.
- In the wake of Le Scouarnec's sentencing, the concept of sexual-health and its associated taboos have taken center stage in discussions of health-and-wellness, with health authorities and advocacy groups working to combat the stigma surrounding sexual crimes and provide resources for victims.
