FRANCE’S “WORST PAEDOPHILE” FACES 50 NEW CHARGES AFTER 299 VICTIMS WERE ALREADY IDENTIFIED

A French surgeon already serving a 20-year prison sentence for sexually abusing 299 victims has been brought back before the courts over 50 additional alleged sexual offences.

Joël Le Scouarnec, 75, is now facing charges involving 10 alleged rapes and 40 sexual assaults dating from 1987 to 2017.

Authorities say the new allegations involve 48 victims, including minors under the age of 15. Prosecutors said the accusations emerged during his previous trial, alongside additional complaints later received by investigators.

THE PREVIOUS CASE WAS ALREADY UNPRECEDENTED

Le Scouarnec was convicted last year after investigators uncovered evidence of an extraordinary pattern of abuse.

He was found responsible for crimes against 299 victims, most of them children, committed between 1989 and 2004.

Of those victims, 256 were under the age of 15.

The youngest was just 4 years old.

Many of the victims were patients who were under anesthesia or recovering from surgery while Le Scouarnec was working in hospitals across Brittany.

A DIARY BECAME PART OF THE EVIDENCE

After his arrest in 2017, investigators discovered a disturbing diary at his home in which he had documented his sexual interest in children and described himself as a paedophile.

The evidence became part of the prosecution’s case against the former surgeon.

A lawyer representing one of the victims previously described Le Scouarnec as “the worst mass paedophile who ever lived.”

NOW THE CASE IS BACK IN COURT

The latest 50 allegations mean the legal process surrounding Le Scouarnec is far from over.

Prosecutors say the new charges can still be pursued because the statute of limitations has not expired for these alleged offences.

The new case involves alleged crimes committed over a period stretching from 1987 to 2017, adding another disturbing chapter to one of France’s largest sexual-abuse investigations.

For survivors, the latest proceedings could mean confronting the past all over again.

For investigators and prosecutors, they raise another question:

How many victims were still waiting to be heard?

Le Scouarnec is already serving a 20-year sentence for his previous convictions.

Now, 50 more allegations have brought him back before the courts.

The 50 new allegations are charges and have not yet resulted in additional convictions. The previous convictions involving 299 victims are separate from the new proceedings.