Retired surgeon admits “ugly behavior” ongoing with the largest trial of child sexual abuse in France

Vannes, France – A retired surgeon has been accused of rape and sexual assault 299 people admitted in court that he committed “ugly” behavior as France’s largest case of child sexual abuse ever took place on Monday.

“If I showed up before you, it’s because one day, when most of these people were just children, I committed ugly behavior,” Joël Le Scouarnec The president of the Five Judges panel, Aude Buresi, said in a clear voice. Case asked him if he had a statement.

Le Scouarnec, wearing a black coat and glasses, added that he was ready to take responsibility for his actions “and the possible and possible consequences they may have for the rest of their lives.”

It is not clear how many victims the 74-year-old refers to in his brief statement in the palace of Vanes in a small town in Brittany, northwestern France.

Defense attorney Maxime Tessier told reporters outside the court that Le Scouarnec, who is currently sentenced to 15 years in prison for abuse of four other children, admitted that it was the “overwhelming majority” of the charges, but not all.

Amélie Lévêque, 42, accused the surgeon of rape of her when she was 9 and under anesthesia, and expected to testify against him during the trial, telling NBC News that she “has nothing to Le Scouarnec’s words Too many ideas.”

“I really don’t believe he’s sincere,” she said. “But I think it’s good for them to let him give this little speech. We kept saying he was silent.”

Solène Podevin, president of the Face-to-Face Incest Association, also noted that he acknowledged the responsibility: “But it is not necessarily all actions.”

The trial is expected to last four months, and will be the highly-watched French medical system, which he can continue to work despite many warning signs, including a 2005 conviction for possessing images depicting child abuse, which he downloaded from an internet site Children abuse. FBI.

Some lawyers for the victims said that once respected local doctors should have deprived him of medical privileges.

Instead, Le Scouarnec, the father of three, moved to other public hospitals and private clinics in five regions of France, where he specializes in appendectomy, abdominal and gynecological procedures.

“If it weren’t for the FBI, we wouldn’t have traced back to Joël Le Scouarnec,” said Francesca Satta, a lawyer for several victims.

The trial is expected to have hundreds of witnesses, including Le Scouarnec’s niece and a family friend who is now in his 40s, who they say were attacked in the early 1980s. The allegations took place long ago and could not be prosecuted under French law.

Much of the evidence against Le Scouarnec was carefully documented in a digital diary by surgeons, who was caught by investigators in the spring of 2017 after his 6-year-old neighbor’s mother reported that he raped a girl after temptation. The official said she walked through the mesh fence of the garden.

After Le Scouarnec was arrested, he told investigators during several interrogations that his “pedophile fantasy” was “obsessed with and domineering” and began to record them with a diary.

Court documents show that the digital documents date back to the early 1980s and include the names of patients and others, including young family members, as well as their age, addresses and detailed descriptions of what they have done to them.

When investigators searched Le Scouarnec’s house in May 2017, they found thousands of images of child pornography and photos of doctors performing sexual acts on dolls and animals, according to a report by the investigative judge. The report said about 5,000 videos of “violent nature” were also found, some of which showed torture.

In 2020, Le Scouarnec was convicted for raping a young neighbor and three hours. He is currently serving 15 years in prison. If he is guilty of the latest charges, he will face an additional 20 years, which is the verdict the lawyer said.

In the current trial, the average age of 158 male and 141 female victims was reportedly 11. Most (256) were 15 years old when they were beaten, most of them recovered from anesthesia or surgery, most of them were prosecutors. allegations.

Court officials said they worked hard to find a large enough place to conduct the trial, which is expected to cost 3 million euros ($3.14 million). Finally, they decided to broadcast the trial in a former university building, about five minutes from the court in downtown Vaness, a town of Breton with medieval sidings, canals, canals and a scattered sailboat port.

The victim and his family will watch the trial on screen in a 450-seat auditorium.

More than 450 journalists who have been recognized can watch live feed away from victims in another part of the building. The testimony will be held in the main court, with approximately 60 lawyers ending in mid-June before the trial ends.

Attorney Marie Grimaud said that for many victims, distance from abusers is the latest blow in the process that often makes them feel different.

“Everything is conspiring to keep us out of sight and keep us apart as if we were just second-rate players in this trial,” Grima posted an open letter on behalf of her client.

But Lévêque learned from investigators that she had raped her, and she said she would rather stay away from the doctor.

“I’m protected,” she said.

This article was originally published on nbcnews.com.