A court in France sentenced a surgeon to 20 years in prison for abuse of 299 mainly minor patients. In the largest process of child abuse in France, the retired hospital doctor Joël Le Scouarneec (74) was the age of 158 patients and 141 patients of the average age of eleven years between 1989 and 2014. The actions occurred in the operating room, during anesthesia and also in patient rooms and also in patient rooms.
At the start of the process, the inconspicuous looking pensioner had made an extensive confession. “I have committed horrible actions,” he said. “I have to take responsibility for my actions and the consequences for the victims they will have their lives.” Unexpectedly, the doctor later also admitted in court that he had also passed on his two -year -old granddaughter at the time of crime.
The public prosecutor had asked for 20 years in prison and therefore the highest possible punishment for the accused. The last dealt with his victims as lifeless objects, showed no empathy and also exploited his role as a doctor. He was often passed on to patients or children who were still under anesthesia who could not sort his actions as abuse. The surgeon is said to have often hidden his actions as a medical examination, said it in the indictment.
The public prosecutor said that the number of victims of surgeons was even higher. In order not to postpone the process, 299 cases were initially charged. There will probably be a criminal procedure because of other victims.
How can it get that far?
France shook the legal proceedings. There is also the question why the health authorities could not stop the doctor, convicted in 2005 because of child pornography. In this context, the defense lawyer spoke about “a major failure of our health systems”. Information about misconduct was trivialized and the doctor preferred to keep the doctor at his post.
The surgeon also denounced the failure of the authorities. “How did Doctor Scouarnec practice for 30 years, how did you let him go, why nobody knew that,” said a 36-year-old in court. The Medical Association of France has admitted its own failure in the process.
In 2020, the doctor had already been sentenced to 15 years in prison for four cases of abuse. In 2017, the investigation had received the advertisement from a neighbor whose six -year -old daughter abused the doctor in the garden.
During searches, the researchers came across around 300,000 photos of child abuse and diaries in which the doctor had recorded his decades of abuse in detail. With this information, the researchers went looking for the often ignorant victims who met the surgeon during his work in national clinics in West France.
Traumatized victim
In court, countless victims spoke about traumatization and psychological damage due to abuse. Even children who did not notice the abuse as such, unknowingly responded to the violence suffered.
Experts found post -traumatic syndromes, blockages and physical complaints as a result of psychological stress. Some of them only took place after the researchers visited the victims and revealed them that they had fallen victim to abuse in their youth.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
