French Surgeon Faces Trial for Sexual Assault of Nearly 300 Patients.

French Surgeon Faces Trial for Sexual Assault of Nearly 300 Patients.

By Fly Cable News

Former French surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, is set to stand trial for allegedly sexually assaulting or raping 299 patients, most of them children, between 1989 and 2014. He is already serving a prison sentence for abusing four children.

The trial, expected to last four months, will take place in Vannes, Brittany, with testimonies from underage victims held behind closed doors. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Despite a 2005 conviction for possessing child abuse material and concerns raised by colleagues, Le Scouarnec continued practicing medicine until his retirement in 2017. His crimes came to light when a six-year-old girl accused him of rape, leading to the discovery of detailed abuse records in his diaries.

Victims and advocates blame systemic failures that allowed him to keep working. A separate investigation into institutional negligence has been launched, but no individuals have been charged yet.