A French prosecutor on Friday called for the maximum 20-year prison sentence for former surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec, who admitted to sexually abusing nearly 300 patients—most of them children—over a span of 25 years. The case, one of the most extensive child sex abuse scandals in French history, has sent shockwaves through the country’s medical and legal institutions.
Le Scouarnec, 74, is currently on trial for 111 counts of rape and 189 counts of sexual assault involving 299 victims across 12 hospitals in western France between 1989 and 2014. The victims were predominantly under the age of 15 and were often abused while under anesthesia or as they regained consciousness after surgery. He admitted to all charges in March.
Prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger, outlining the sentencing request, emphasized the severity of the crimes and the enduring threat posed by the former doctor. He called for the full 20-year sentence on the charge of aggravated rape, noting a “high risk of re-offending” and “serious personality disorders” that make Le Scouarnec a continuing danger.
Kellenberger also recommended that Le Scouarnec serve at least two-thirds of the sentence before being eligible for parole, and that he be placed in a specialized treatment and supervision facility following release — a rare measure under French law.
Despite the overwhelming number of victims in the current trial, prosecutors acknowledged that further legal proceedings would likely be necessary to address additional cases. Kellenberger told the court that many victims could not be formally included in this trial due to procedural time limits, but assured the public that “these victims have not been forgotten.”
“There will probably be another Le Scouarnec procedure,” he added, confirming that investigations are ongoing.
The court is expected to deliver its verdict on Wednesday.
The case has raised deep questions about how Le Scouarnec was allowed to continue practicing medicine for decades, even after a 2005 conviction for possessing child abuse images. He worked until his retirement in 2017, despite repeated warning signs.
“Should Joel Le Scouarnec have been alone in the dock?” Kellenberger asked the court, criticizing the institutional failures that allowed the abuse to continue unchecked. He lamented a system where “everyone happily passes it on until it’s lost and hurts innocent people.”
Le Scouarnec also acknowledged feeling “responsible” for the deaths of two victims: Mathis Vinet, who died from a drug overdose in 2021 in what his family says was suicide, and another unnamed man who died in 2020. He told the court he has “come to terms” with his crimes, though many victims’ lawyers expressed doubts about the sincerity of his apologies, describing them as robotic and rehearsed.
“He is utterly guilty,” said defense lawyer Maxime Tessier, summarizing his own client’s position. Le Scouarnec, while admitting guilt, claimed he no longer remembered the details of his actions.
Despite the scale of the case, some observers expressed disappointment that it has not received more attention in France. Critics pointed to the more intense media focus on cases like that of Dominique Pelicot, convicted last year for orchestrating the rape of his then-wife by dozens of strangers.
For many of Le Scouarnec’s victims, the lack of national reckoning has compounded their trauma. Still, legal experts say the outcome of this trial may serve as a wake-up call for the French medical system and prompt long-overdue reforms in institutional accountability and child protection.
Le Scouarnec is already serving a 15-year sentence handed down in 2020 for the abuse of four children, including two of his nieces. This current trial represents the broader reckoning for crimes that went undetected for decades, as the country confronts the scale and consequences of one of its darkest medical scandals.
