Joseph Isangura
A French court has sentenced former surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec to 20 years in prison after finding him guilty of raping and sexually abusing 299 patients some as young as four years old over more than two decades.
The trial, which concluded this week in the western city of Vannes, is being described as one of France’s largest-ever sexual abuse scandals.
Le Scouarnec, now 74, previously worked at various hospitals across western France and used his position as a respected gastrointestinal surgeon to prey on vulnerable patients, many of whom were sedated or unconscious during the assaults.
A Hidden Predator in the Heart of Healthcare
The court heard disturbing details from dozens of victims, many of whom had no memory of the abuse until investigators contacted them. Authorities uncovered Le Scouarnec’s crimes after the 2017 report by a young neighbor, whose courage to speak out ultimately cracked the case open.
During the search of his home in Jonzac, police discovered detailed personal diaries in which he recorded hundreds of assaults, alongside thousands of indecent images of children. The BBC described the records as a “chilling archive of sexual violence,” some dating back to the early 1990s.
The Trial and Maximum Sentence
Le Scouarnec was already serving a 15-year sentence handed down in 2020 for raping four girls, including two of his nieces. But the new conviction — involving 229 new victims, including children, teenagers, and adults — exposes a deeper and more disturbing pattern of abuse.
Presiding judge Aude Buresi imposed the maximum sentence allowed under French criminal law for serial rape. Although sentences are not cumulative in France, Le Scouarnec must serve at least two-thirds of the 20-year term before he can request parole — meaning at least 13 years behind bars.
“This verdict delivers justice, but the trauma is lifelong,” said one survivor, whose abuse took place at age 10 during an appendectomy. “We were children. We trusted him.”
A System That Turned a Blind Eye
The case has raised serious questions about institutional silence and the role of hospitals in enabling predators to continue practicing. Despite a 2005 conviction for possessing child pornography, Le Scouarnec continued to operate freely in clinics without meaningful oversight.
France’s Ministry of Health is now facing mounting pressure to reform its internal reporting systems and improve safeguards for patients.
Legal experts have compared the case to other high-profile institutional failures such as the Larry Nassar scandal in the United States or the Jimmy Savile revelations in the UK, where powerful men were shielded by their status.
Impact on Victims and Ongoing Investigations
Many victims have described decades of psychological trauma, with some experiencing memory loss, depression, or trust issues that affected their entire lives. Support groups have been formed to offer counseling and a collective voice in the aftermath of the trial.
Investigators say more victims could emerge as public awareness grows, with Le Scouarnec’s diaries suggesting he may have assaulted over 300 individuals.
One attorney representing multiple survivors told Le Monde: “This is not just a story about one man — it’s a story about a system that looked the other way.”
