French investigators have launched a search for additional victims of a former surgeon who has admitted to raping or sexually assaulting 299 mostly young patients, in what has been described as a turning point in France's largest child abuse case.
Joël Le Scouarnec, 74, had previously denied several charges but now accepts that all individuals named in his handwritten notes—reported to include more than 300 names—were abused. His lawyer, Maxime Tessier, said the surgeon told the court: 'I have a duty to tell the truth.'
The public prosecutor's office in Rennes has opened a fresh investigation to identify and trace other victims mentioned in Le Scouarnec's writings, one document of which was headed 'My paedophile letters.' The admission came after ten days of evidence from victims, most of whom were under 15. The court heard that abuse occurred while patients were under anaesthetic or recovering from operations between 1989 and 2014.
Tessier described the admission as 'a moment of truth and justice... and a turning point.' Frédérique Giffard, a lawyer for 15 victims, welcomed the recognition, saying it allows victims to move forward.
Le Scouarnec is already serving a 15-year sentence for sexual abuse of four young girls. Police discovered notebooks and hard disks with child sexual abuse material, as well as a collection of life-sized dolls, during a search of his home in 2020.
