France's largest-ever child sexual abuse case opens Monday in Brittany, with Joel Le Scouarnec accused of raping and sexually assaulting hundreds of young patients in various hospitals over decades. Echoing the recent Pellicot scandal, the trial raises questions about institutional failures in the French healthcare system.
The trial of Joel Le Scouarnec, who stands accused of an unprecedented scale of child sexual abuse, has sent shockwaves through France, raising questions about the public healthcare system's ability to protect its most vulnerable patients.
In 2017, police uncovered a cache of sex dolls, wigs, and child pornography at Le Scouarnec's home following his arrest for raping a six-year-old neighbour.
Investigators also found electronic diaries meticulously detailing nearly three decades of alleged rapes and sexual assaults on hundreds of young patients across various hospitals.
This discovery led to Le Scouarnec's conviction in 2020 for the rape and sexual assault of four minors, including his nieces and a patient.
Amélie Leveque – one of the surgeon's alleged victims – told FranceInfo:
"No one can imagine the horror. He made vulgar gestures, using foul language. That's why I describe him as 'wicked'... because this is a little, nine-year-old girl recalling it. I cried a lot... I never thought anything like this could ever happen to me during an operation".
Echoes of Pellicot rape trial
But Le Scouarnec's alleged crimes go beyond those convictions.
Prosecutors have now charged him with the aggravated rape and sexual assault of 299 people – many of them children – some of whom were allegedly abused while under anaesthesia.
The former surgeon, now 74, has reportedly admitted to many of these accusations, though his lawyers have declined to comment ahead of the trial.
The opening of the trial in the Breton town of Vannes coincides with a period of intense scrutiny of sexual crimes in France, following the conviction of Dominique Pellicot in December.
Pellicot was found guilty of drugging his wife and facilitating her rape by dozens of men, a case that horrified the world and highlighted systemic failures in preventing such crimes.
Systemic failures
Le Scouarnec's case will cast a light on the country's healthcare oversight mechanisms.
In 2005, Le Scouarnec received a suspended four-month sentence for child pornography and secured a job at Quimperlé public hospital the following year.
Despite a psychiatrist's concerns about his behaviour in 2006, he continued practicing in public hospitals and working with children until his arrest in 2017.
This has left victims and advocacy groups questioning how the healthcare system failed to protect minors.
Prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger has initiated a separate investigation to determine if any agencies or individuals bear criminal liability for failing to prevent the alleged abuse.
Victims traumatised
The investigation into Le Scouarnec's alleged crimes has been painstaking, involving the tracking down of potential victims by matching diary descriptions with hospital records.
Many victims, anesthetised during the alleged abuse, had no recollection but exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress, as documented by psychiatrists.
One particularly harrowing account involves Mathis Vinet, who was 10 when he was allegedly assaulted by Le Scouarnec in 2007.
Mathis's life spiralled into substance abuse following the hospital visit, and he died of an overdose in 2021, shortly after learning of the alleged abuse.
His family – plaintiffs in the case – blame Le Scouarnec for Mathis's death.
