PARIS: A court in western France has sentenced retired surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing 299 patients, the majority of whom were underage children.
This case is recognized as the largest child sexual abuse scandal in French history.
Le Scouarnec, 74, admitted to abusing 158 boys and 141 girls, with an average age of 11, between 1989 and 2014, in operating rooms, during anesthesia, or in examination rooms.
The court noted that he exploited his professional position, treating victims as lifeless objects and showing no empathy. Many of these children were under the influence of anesthetics during the abuse and were unable to comprehend the situation.
Prosecutors had sought a 20-year sentence, the maximum possible punishment for this case.
