A French retired surgeon accused of sexually abusing over 300 young children over decades - primarily his patients in their hospital rooms - has been sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison in the first trial of what may be the largest-ever pedophilia case in the country.
The trial this week in the western city of Saintes concerned four people allegedly targeted by Joel Le Scouarnec, 70, including two of his nieces, a young female neighbor, and a child who was hospitalized at age 4 in the establishment where he practiced. Le Scouarnec has been found guilty of “rapes” and “sexual abuses,” Francesca Satta, the lawyer for the neighbor’s family, told the AP. His name will also be added to the database of sex offenders, she said. During the trial, Le Scouarnec admitted he had raped his nieces. Other legal complaints against the doctor have piled up since the original investigation wrapped up.