<![CDATA[ Médico pedófilo admite “atos abomináveis”. Abusou de 299 pacientes, a maioria menores ]]>

Former surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec, 74, accused of sexually abusing 299 patients, most of them minors and under the influence of anesthesia, admitted in court this Monday to the “abominable acts” he committed over several years, in one of the biggest pedophilia cases in France. “I committed abominable acts. Today I am perfectly aware that these wounds cannot be erased,” he said.

“The accused acknowledges responsibility for the vast majority of the facts. Le Scouarnec does not intend in any way to evade his responsibilities,” said the lawyer, Maxime Tessier.

Most of the victims were unaware of the abuse and many only found out after being informed by the authorities, who found a notebook with the names of the victims in the doctor's home, along with reports of the abuse. "The victims do not expect anything from the defendant but they want to regain some dignity, humanity and, above all, consideration from the justice system," said Marie Grimaud, a lawyer representing 39 victims. Le Scouarnec faces 111 charges of rape and 189 of sexual abuse.

The crimes were committed between 1989 and 2014, and 256 of the victims were under the age of 15. In 2005, the doctor was given a four-month suspended sentence for possession of child pornography, but was not prevented from continuing to work. In 2020, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping four minors, including two nieces.