A erstwhile surgeon went connected proceedings successful France connected Monday for nan alleged rape aliases intersexual maltreatment of 299 victims, astir of them children who were his patients, successful what investigators and his ain notebooks picture arsenic a shape of unit spanning complete 3 decades.
Joël Le Scouarnec, now 74, will look hundreds of victims during his four-month proceedings successful Vannes, Brittany. He faces up to 20 years successful situation if convicted, connected apical of 15 years he has been serving aft being recovered blameworthy successful 2020 of rape and intersexual battle of children.
His lawyer, Maxime Tessier, told nan tribunal that Le Scouarnec accepts work for “a ample majority” of nan allegations against him.
Some survivors person nary representation of nan assaults, having been unconscious astatine nan time. One man now successful his thirties testified that he was assaulted during a consultation successful 1995, erstwhile he was conscionable a young boy.
“I retrieve definite things successful nan betterment room. I was successful full panic. I called my dad,” he told nan court.
Trial builds connected Gisèle Pélicot’s momentum
Le Scouarnec’s proceedings comes arsenic activists are pushing to dismantle taboos that person agelong surrounded intersexual maltreatment successful France. The astir salient lawsuit was that of Gisèle Pélicot, who was drugged and raped by her now ex-husband and dozens of different men who were convicted and sentenced successful December to situation position ranging from 3 to 20 years.
The Le Scouarnec lawsuit began successful 2017, erstwhile a 6-year-old neighbour said nan expert had touched her complete nan obstruction separating their properties.
A consequent hunt of his location uncovered much than 300,000 photos, 650 pedophilic, zoophilic and scatological video files, arsenic good arsenic notebooks wherever he described himself arsenic a pedophile and elaborate his actions, according to investigation documents.
In 2020, Le Scouarnec was convicted of rape and intersexual battle of 4 children, including 2 nieces, and was sentenced to 15 years successful prison.
He has admitted to kid maltreatment making love to 1985-1986, but immoderate cases could not beryllium prosecuted because nan statute of limitations has expired.
Trial focuses connected 25-year span
The Vannes proceedings will analyse alleged rapes and different abuses committed betwixt 1989 and 2014 against 158 men and 141 women who were aged 11 connected mean astatine nan time.
The expert sexually abused some boys and girls erstwhile they were unsocial successful their infirmary rooms, according to investigation documents.
“I didn’t really retrieve nan operation. I remembered nan post-operation, a surgeon who was rather mean,” 1 of nan victims, Amélie Lévêque, recalled of her clip successful nan infirmary erstwhile she was 9 years aged successful 1991. “I cried a lot.”
Years later, she described emotion overwhelmed erstwhile she learned that her sanction appeared successful Le Scouarnec’s notebooks.
“That was nan opening of nan answers to a life of questions, and past it was nan opening of nan descent into hell,” she told nationalist broadcaster France 3. “I felt for illustration I had mislaid power of everything. I wasn’t crazy, but now I had to look nan truth of what had happened.”
“I fell into a heavy depression. ... My family tried to help, but I felt wholly alone.”
The Associated Press does not sanction group who opportunity they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to being identified aliases determine to show their stories publicly.
Le Scouarnec had already been convicted successful 2005 for possessing and importing kid intersexual maltreatment worldly and sentenced to 4 months of suspended situation time. Despite that conviction, he was appointed arsenic a infirmary practitioner nan pursuing year.
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Some kid protection groups joined nan proceedings arsenic civilian parties, saying they dream to toughen nan ineligible model to forestall specified abuse.
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Vaux-Montagny reported from Lyon, France. Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet successful Paris and John Leicester successful Le Pecq, France, contributed to this report.