France sentences retired surgeon to 20 years’ jail for raping his patients
Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, stood accused of aggravated rape or sexual assault against 299 victims, many of them children at the time
A French court on Wednesday found a retired surgeon guilty of the rape and sexual assault of patients, some of them whilst under anaesthetic, in a trial that has shaken France.
Le Scouarnec, 74, was sentenced to 20 years in jail. He will not appeal his conviction, his lawyer Maxime Tessier said.
Le Scouarnec’s abuse of his patients, many them children at the time, is considered France’s worst case of pedocriminality to go to trial. He stood accused of aggravated rape or sexual assault against 299 victims.
“I’m aware that the harm I’ve caused is beyond repair,” Le Scouarnec told the opening of his trial in February.
“I owe it to all these people and their loved ones to admit my actions and their consequences, which they’ve endured and will keep having to endure all their lives,” he added.
