Hidden in Plain Sight

The largest child abuse trial in French history began on Monday, featuring a surgeon accused of sexually abusing hundreds of minors over decades in a case that horrified the country and sparked concerns over how such crimes could go on unnoticed for so long, the Washington Post reported.

The trial of retired gastrointestinal surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec is taking place in the northwestern region of Brittany, just weeks after the country was shaken by a months-long trial covering the mass rape of Gisèle Pelicot by her husband and dozens of other men he solicited.

Le Scouarnec, 74, is accused of sexually abusing 299 patients, ranging from as young as two years old to early adulthood, across 10 private and public hospitals over a span of more than two decades, CNN reported.

Police investigations identified the victims thanks to Le Scouarnec’s notes in his journals and on his computer, where he recounted how he abused his patients, who were often under anesthesia.

More than a dozen of the doctor’s former patients wanted to testify but were prevented from doing so because their cases exceeded the 30-year statute of limitations.

Many in France have accused law enforcement and medical authorities of failing to stop Le Scouarnec earlier. The surgeon had been caught with child pornography in 2004 by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation who then informed the French authorities.

At the time, police couldn’t find enough concrete evidence and he received a suspended sentence for possession of child pornography in 2005. As a result, Le Scouarnec was allowed to keep working, including with children.

Meanwhile, the former surgeon was convicted in 2020 and sentenced to 15 years in prison for abusing his nieces and a neighbor. He is currently serving that sentence.