In France, a surgeon is set to stand trial for allegedly raping hundreds of children.
A former surgeon in France is set to stand trial, accused of raping several hundred children over a span of 25 years, some of whom were under anesthesia. This information was reported by the BBC, as conveyed by UNN.
Details
The 73-year-old former surgeon, Joël Le Scouarnec, is charged with sexual assault against 299 children from 1989 to 2014.
Police discovered children's sex toys, over 300,000 images of child abuse, and detailed diaries in the doctor's home, where he recorded his crimes.
Some former patients of Le Scouarnec recalled how he touched them under the guise of a medical examination, sometimes even in the presence of their parents or other doctors. Meanwhile, most of the victims do not remember anything because they were under anesthesia. They learned about what happened only after the police found records of their cases in the surgeon's diaries.
According to the BBC, several victims who recalled the events have taken their own lives.
The doctor confessed to committing some crimes but denies all the charges brought against him.
BBC reports that alarming signals regarding the surgeon's actions emerged as early as the mid-1980s, and in the early 2000s, the FBI reported that he had access to websites featuring child pornography. However, at that time, Le Scouarnec received a four-month suspended sentence.
The surgeon was only arrested after a six-year-old girl told her parents about the assault. By that time, he had already retired and was living a reclusive life.
This is noted to be the largest child abuse case in France's history. The trial of the accused will begin in the city of Vannes on February 24 and will continue until June.
Recall
Ivor Caplin, former UK defense minister, was detained in Brighton on suspicion of engaging in sexual correspondence with a child. The 66-year-old politician was arrested following an operation by "pedophile hunters."