A French court has sentenced a former surgeon to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting 299 children, in one of the country’s most disturbing abuse cases. The verdict was delivered on Friday.The perpetrator, Joël Le Scouarnec, must serve a minimum of two-thirds of his sentence before becoming eligible for release, as per the Morbihan criminal court’s ruling.Le Scouarnec is currently serving a 15-year sentence from a 2020 conviction for assaulting four children, including two nieces.The recent trial in Brittany exposed systematic abuse from 1989 to 2014, predominantly targeting sedated hospital patients, averaging 11 years of age. The victims comprised 158 boys and 141 girls.Advocacy groups criticised health authorities for failing to act after Le Scouarnec’s 2005 child pornography conviction. He retained his medical licence and continued practising until his 2017 arrest.Prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger said, “More could have been done,” “Things could have been done differently, even within the notorious layers of French bureaucracy, where responsibilities are so often passed from one authority to another until, eventually, that responsibility is lost, and hits innocent lives.”Le Scouarnec admitted to all charges, including abuse beyond the statute of limitations and assaulting his granddaughter, which he revealed before her parents during the trial.Despite his 2005 conviction for possessing child abuse material, he secured a hospital position the following year. Civil parties hope this case will strengthen preventive legal frameworks.The trial coincides with France’s efforts to address sexual abuse, including the Gisèle Pélicot case and investigations into alleged Catholic school abuse.Victims have expressed disappointment with the institutional response, stating, “This trial, which could have served as an open-air laboratory to expose the serious failings of our institutions, seems to leave no mark on the government, the medical community, or society at large.”Many victims were identified through Le Scouarnec’s detailed journals or medical records. Two victims died by suicide before the trial. The surgeon exploited medical procedures to abuse children in hospital rooms.Le Scouarnec maintained composure throughout the trial, stating, “I didn’t see them as people. They were the destination of my fantasies. As the trial went on, I began to see them as individuals, with emotions, anger, suffering and distress.”The case emerged when a six-year-old neighbour reported inappropriate behaviour in April 2017. Police discovered extensive illicit materials at his residence.A third trial is anticipated following new allegations, including further abuse of his granddaughter.
