Joël Le Scouarnec is accused of the rape and sexual assault of 299 patients. Coming in the wake of the Pelicot trial, the case is another sign of France’s slow-changing attitudes to sexual crimes
French surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec is on trial for the rape and sexual assault of 299 patients, mostly children, between 1989 and 2014, documented in his diaries. Despite a prior conviction for possessing sexually abusive images of children, he was hired at a hospital and continued working unsupervised. The case highlights France's slow progress in addressing sexual crimes and raises questions about societal attitudes and the underreporting of sexual assault.
