Prison officers escort ex-surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec from a vehicle, during his trial, where he is charged with aggravated rape and sexual assault against hundreds of children over several decades, in Vannes, Brittany, France, February 25, 2025. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
VANNES, France (Reuters) - A retired French surgeon who sexually abused hundreds of young patients, many of them children, over more than two decades received a 20-year jail sentence on Wednesday, in France's worst ever child abuse case to go to trial.
Joel Le Scouarnec stood accused of aggravated rape or sexual assault of 299 victims, including the rape of some children who were under anaesthetic. He told the court he had committed "despicable acts" over a 25-year period while working as a doctor in western France.
