Who Is Joel Le Scouarnec? French Surgeon Accused Of Assaulting 300 Patients, Mostly Children

Former surgeon, Joël Le Scouarnec, has drawn global attention after he admitted to 'committing hideous acts' during the hearing of which has been dubbed as France's largest child sexual abuse case on Monday.

Accused of sexually assaulting or raping 299 patients, the majority of whom were children, Le Scouarnec's trial marks one of the most disturbing child abuse cases in French history. 'If I am appearing before you, it's because one day, when most of these people were just children, I committed hideous acts,' Joël Le Scouarnec said after he was asked if he wanted to make a statement.

The surgeon faced his first conviction in 2020 after he was sentenced for abusing four children, which included two of his nieces.

While addressing the court on Monday, Le Scouarnec said, 'I can't go back, but I owe it to [the victims] and their relatives to admit my actions and the consequences they had and that they undoubtedly will continue to have throughout their lives.'

The case, which is led by a five-judge panel with Judge Aude Buresi as the president, has raised questions about systemic failures within the French medical profession. What allowed Joël Le Scouarnec to continue practising despite allegations and multiple warnings?

Who Is Joel Le Scouarnec?

Le Scouarnec, now 74, is facing charges of assaults that took place between 1989 and 2014, with victims ranging from a one-year-old child to a 70-year-old adult.

According to reports, Le Scouarnec was born in Paris and quali­fied as a surgeon at the medical faculty at Nantes in 1983. After that, he reportedly met and married Marie-France, a health worker. He then moved with his wife to Loches, the south-east city of Tours.

A private clinic at Vannes hired him in 1994, and for 10 years, Le Scouarnec worked across the west of France at many hospitals. A specialist in digestive surgery, he then moved to the public hospital at Lorient and then Quimperlé in 2004

A Long History of Allegations

Apart from the number of people who were victims of Le Scouarnec's abuse, another shocking fact was that the majority of the alleged offences took place while patients were under general anaesthesia. Hence, they had no recollection of the abuse that happened to them.

A victim of Le Scouarnec, who is now a mother of three, was shocked to discover her abuse. In 2019, she was approached by French authorities and was told she was one of the victims of the surgeon. She was operated by Le Scouarnec when she was 9.

While speaking to a publication, she shared her moment of discovery. 'Was I touched?' she asked the officials, to which they replied, 'No, madame. Raped.'

'I couldn't think they were talking about me. It's like cancer; you think it only happens to other people. And how could I have forgotten that?' she added. However, it was not until 2017 that the full scale of the abuse conducted by him came to light.

In April 2017, Le Scouarnec's neighbour raised a complaint against him after their six-year-old daughter told them that 'the man with a crown of white hair' had inappropriately touched her through a broken garden fence. Once the complaint was made, a search was conducted at the surgeon's house, and what was discovered was insanity.

According to reports, Police found a hard disk which had more than 300,000 photos and videos featuring child sexual abuse under a mattress. Notebooks recording details of the alleged abuse of child patients were also discovered in his home. One of his notes read, 'I am a paedophile and I always will be.'

A Case of Missed Warnings

Despite numerous red flags throughout his career, Le Scouarnec's ability to continue working as a surgeon has been a source of outrage.

In 2005, the FBI flagged him for accessing child abuse images online, leading to a suspended prison sentence in France. Despite this, he was allowed to continue practising medicine in hospitals across Brittany, including in Quimperlé and Jonzac.

In 2006, psychiatrist Thierry Bonvalot, who worked with Le Scouarnec, raised concerns about his conduct. Bonvalot was shocked by the surgeon's sexually charged comments about young patients and his admission to possessing child pornography. He urged the Order of Physicians, the body responsible for regulating the medical profession in France, to intervene. However, no action was taken, and Le Scouarnec was promoted within his hospital, eventually becoming the head of surgery.

The Medical System Under Scrutiny

Le Scouarnec's case has led to widespread criticism of the French medical system, particularly the Order of Physicians, now a civil party in the trial. The Order has been accused of failing to act on multiple warnings about Le Scouarnec's past.

While speaking to AFP, one of Le Scouarnec's victims said, 'How many people knew he was a paedophile and let him practise medicine?' Many other victims have come forward since, who are demanding accountability.

In response to the allegations, the Order of Physicians stated, 'In recent years, the Order of Physicians has undertaken reforms to strengthen vigilance and coordination with the judiciary. Such acts should never have happened and must never happen again.'

However, a 2019 report by the Court of Auditors found that the organisation had failed to adequately address cases of sexual misconduct, with nearly half of complaints dismissed between 2014 and 2017.

While speaking to The Guardian, Frédéric Benoist, a lawyer for the child protection association La Voix de l'Enfant (Child's Voice), a civil party in the case, said that structural failures in France's health and justice system allowed Le Scouarnec to continue with his despicable acts.

'If these institutions had acted properly, they could have stopped Le Scouarnec long before. But each professional at the heart of these institutions, be they legal or medical, did nothing, and because of their inaction, he was able to continue for 30 years,' Benoist said.

A Lasting Impact on Victims

Le Scouarnec's alleged actions have left many of his victims devastated. Some of them who were assaulted as children have come forward and have shared that they fear that this trauma will haunt them forever.

Mauricette Vinet lost her grandson in the aftermath of the abuse caused by Le Scouarnec. He reportedly took his own life after struggling with the trauma. 'If he [Le Scouarnec] hadn't happened, Mathis would still be here,' she said. As the trial continues, many victims will have to relive their painful experiences in the courtroom.

According to reports, protests occurred on Monday outside the Criminal Court of Morbihan in Brittany, where the trial is being held. Many victims' groups, women's collectives, and medical associations turned up outside the courtroom to demand justice and accountability. One rallying cry has been, 'Who knew?'

The trial is reportedly set to conclude in June. Meanwhile, France grapples with the shocking details of Le Scouarnec's crimes and the failures that allowed them to continue.