Overview

• Joël Le Scouarnec, a retired surgeon, is accused of sexually abusing 299 children, primarily patients, between 1989 and 2014 in French hospitals.
• The abuse often occurred while victims were under anesthesia or during medical checkups, with the average age of the victims being 11 years old.
• A 2017 investigation, triggered by a report of abuse against a neighbor's 6-year-old daughter, uncovered detailed diaries and over 300,000 child abuse images in Le Scouarnec's possession.
• Le Scouarnec has admitted to most charges, including the abuse of his granddaughter, but the case has raised questions about healthcare oversight and institutional accountability.
• The trial, expected to last four months, will hear testimony from 299 alleged victims and examine systemic failures that allowed the abuse to continue for decades.