French Surgeon Gets Maximum 20-Year Sentence for Sexually Abusing Hundreds of Patients, Mostly Children

A French court has sentenced a surgeon to the maximum 20-year prison term after he admitted to sexually abusing hundreds of patients—most of them children—over more than two decades.  

Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, one of France’s most prolific convicted sex offenders, faced a three-month trial that exposed the horrific scale of his crimes and the lasting trauma of his victims. The case has also raised troubling questions about why authorities failed to stop him sooner.  

Already serving a 15-year sentence since 2020 for raping and assaulting four children—including two of his nieces—Le Scouarnec received the harshest penalty possible under French law for aggravated rape. Presiding judge Aude Buresi delivered the verdict, noting that sentences for individual crimes in France are not cumulative.  

Le Scouarnec will be ineligible for parole until he has served two-thirds of his sentence. His lawyer stated that he will not appeal the conviction.  

The case has shocked France, highlighting systemic failures in protecting vulnerable patients from predatory medical professionals.

(AFP)