A French surgeon accused of sexually abusing nearly 300 patients, many of them children under anesthesia, has admitted to committing “hideous acts” as his trial begins in what is being described as France’s largest-ever pedophilia case.

Joel Le Scouarnec, a former specialist abdominal surgeon, is charged with sexually assaulting or raping 299 boys and girls over three decades. Many of his victims were sedated during surgical procedures in hospitals where he worked across France. The average age of his alleged victims was just 11 years old.

During the first day of proceedings at the Morbihan Criminal Court in Vannes, Brittany, Le Scouarnec acknowledged the victims’ suffering, stating: “I sympathize with the suffering of the victims concerning acts I admitted during my interrogations.” His lawyer, Maxime Tessier, further confirmed that the defendant “admits responsibility for a vast majority of the acts.”

A Long History of Abuse

Le Scouarnec is already serving a 15-year prison sentence following a 2020 conviction for sexually abusing his six-year-old neighbor, a four-year-old patient, and two of his nieces. However, the true extent of his crimes only became apparent in 2017 when the six-year-old neighbor reported him, leading police to raid his home in Jonzac, southwest France.

Authorities discovered 300,000 child abuse images and videos, as well as handwritten and digital diaries meticulously documenting his assaults from the 1980s onward. The journals contained names of victims, dates, and descriptions of the attacks. Investigators also found life-sized dolls hidden under the floor, which he used for sexual gratification.

Victims’ Trauma and Calls for Accountability

The abuse is said to have driven some victims to suicide, while others have struggled with addiction and mental health issues. One victim, Mathis Vinet, died of a drug overdose at the age of 24. Many of Le Scouarnec’s victims had no memory of the assaults, as they were sedated at the time.

Despite his 2005 conviction for possessing child pornography—a case that emerged from an FBI-led investigation—Le Scouarnec was handed only a four-month suspended sentence. He continued practicing medicine and secured a full-time position at Jonzac Hospital in 2008. The hospital director reportedly knew of his conviction but hired him anyway, citing the absence of “physical assault” charges at the time.

Medical Community’s Code of Silence Under Scrutiny

The case has sparked outrage in France, with critics pointing to a systemic failure to prevent Le Scouarnec’s continued offenses. In 2006, he was reported to the L’Ordre des Médecins (The Order of Physicians) when a colleague discovered his conviction, yet no action was taken.

Ahead of the trial, victims and medical professionals staged a rally, holding signs that read: “Stop the code of silence.” One retired doctor called the lack of intervention “shameful,” while medical student Ariel Ladebourg described the case as “just the tip of the iceberg,” warning that many similar crimes go unpunished.

Legal Challenges and Potential Sentencing

Le Scouarnec’s alleged crimes are detailed in a 745-page indictment, covering offenses committed between 1989 and 2014. Under French law, sentences for multiple victims cannot be added together, meaning he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. The trial is expected to last until June, with victims and their families awaiting long-overdue justice in a case that has sent shockwaves across France.

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