French Surgeon Receives 20-Year Sentence in Historic Child Abuse Case

A retired French surgeon, Joel Le Scouarnec, was sentenced on Wednesday to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing hundreds of young patients, many of whom were children, over more than two decades. The case is France's most severe child abuse trial to date.

Le Scouarnec, accused of aggravated rape or sexual assault of 299 victims, admitted to committing "despicable acts" while practicing medicine in western France. His trial raised critical questions about the cracks in France's public healthcare system that allowed him to prey on patients for so long.

The ruling follows Le Scouarnec's earlier sentence in 2020, where he received a 15-year term for similar crimes involving a child neighbor and family members. The court has now barred him from practicing medicine and mandated his registration as a sex offender.

(With inputs from agencies.)