A former surgeon, aged 74, who was convicted of raping hundreds of victims over a span of more than twenty years, has been given the maximum punishment of 20 years in prison by a French court.
Joël Le Scouarnec has been found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting 299 children. The judges have agreed with the recommendations of the public prosecutor on the length of the sentence. The criminal court of Morbihan has ruled that Le Scouarnec must serve at least two-thirds of the sentence before being considered for release.
While he offered apologies to some victims, his demeanour struck many as detached and emotionless.
“I don’t show emotion, that’s just how I am,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t feel it, but I don’t express it.”
The case came to light in April 2017 when a six-year-old neighbor reported to her mother that the man living next door had exposed himself and touched her through the dividing fence between their properties.
A search of his home uncovered more than 300,000 photos, 650 paedophilic, zoophilic and scatological video files, as well as notebooks where he described himself as a paedophile and detailed his actions.
“Joël Le Scouarnec says he no longer feels any sexual attraction to children, but there’s no way to verify that,” Kellenberger, the prosecutor, told the court.
“Experts concluded that we cannot rely on his word alone and that his potential for future danger remains significant.”
A third trial is expected in the coming years, following the emergence of new allegations during this trial, including further abuse involving his granddaughter.
