Former surgeon accused of raping and sexually abusing nearly 300 victims goes on trial

A former surgeon who is alleged to have raped and sexually abused 299 victims - most of them children who were his patients - told the opening of his trial in France he had committed "despicable acts".

Warning: This story contains details which some readers may find distressing

Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, on top of the 15 years he has been serving after being found guilty in 2020 of rape and sexual assault of children, in a case that raises questions for France's publicly run healthcare system, victims and rights groups say.

"I committed odious acts," Le Scouarnec told the court in Vannes. "They were only children."

Le Scouarnec told the court he acknowledges committing rapes and sexual assaults. But he said he regards himself as not guilty of those crimes in some of the cases.

"I am aware that these injuries are irreparable," he said. "I cannot go back in time but I owe it to all of these people and their loved ones to take responsibility for my actions."

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Diaries of a monster

Le Scouarnec is alleged to be the most prolific child abuser ever apprehended in France.

His crimes finally came to light when his six-year-old neighbour told her mother he had sexually abused her while she was playing in the garden of her home, in the town of Jonzac in southwest France.

The investigations that followed led to his conviction and imprisonment for raping and sexually assaulting four young girls in 2020.

But evidence recovered by the police during that investigation revealed abuse on a far wider scale.

When searching Le Scouarnec's home, police found 300,000 indecent photos and videos of children (some hard copies and some on computers), 70 child-sized dolls - some of which were chained up - wigs and, crucially, hundreds of notebooks and diaries detailing his acts of abuse.

Le Scouarnec has admitted to child abuse dating to 1985-1986, but some cases could not be prosecuted because the statute of limitations has expired.

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What will the trial focus on?

The four-month trial in Vannes will examine alleged rapes and other abuses committed between 1989 and 2014 against 158 men and 141 women who were aged 11 on average at the time.

The doctor sexually abused both boys and girls when they were alone in their hospital rooms, according to investigation documents.

"I didn't really remember the operation. I remembered the post-operation, a surgeon who was quite mean," one of the victims recalled of her time in the hospital when she was nine years old in 1991.

"I cried a lot."

Le Scouarnec had been convicted in 2005 for possessing and importing child sexual abuse material and sentenced to four months of suspended prison time.

Despite that conviction, he was appointed as a hospital practitioner the following year.

(c) Sky News 2025: Former surgeon accused of raping and sexually abusing nearly 300 victims goes on trial