French surgeon accused of raping or assaulting 299 patients while they were unconscious

A horrifying new case of alleged sexual assaults has emerged in France as an elderly surgeon stands accused of raping or sexually assaulting nearly 300 people.

Joel Le Scournec has been accused of committing these crimes over a 25-year period and is due to be tried in 2025. The alleged assaults spanned from 1989 to 2014, prompting a four-year investigation into the now 72-year-old surgeon.

All of them are said to have occurred in north-eastern France, but in different hospitals, as the patients allegedly lay unconscious on the operating table.

The alleged 299 victims - 158 boys and 141 girls - had an average age of 11. Only 14 of them were over 20, and a shocking 256 were under 15.

Lorient public prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger revealed that they are awaiting a specific date for the trial, but confirmed it will begin in the first half of next year in Vannes.

Kellenberger said that 111 of the cases could be considered aggravated rape, while the rest were classed as aggravated sexual assault.

Le Scournec now faces 20 years in prison, if convicted, adding to the 15 years he's already serving for the rape of his neighbour's daughter, which he was convicted of in 2020.

This investigation uncovered notebooks in which the surgeon was writing down the identities of his alleged victims and detailing what he did to them.

Kellenberger said the female victims could not remember the incidents because they were either sedated or being resuscitated, and further psychological evaluation found that post-traumatic events may also be related to the alleged crime.

Le Scournec, who Kellenberger said has "an atypical personality", reportedly admitted to a large number of the assaults during the interrogations he faced over the four-year investigation.

He also revealed his MO and strategies to avoid being caught, according to Kellenberger.

The accused was reported in 2006 but no hospitals took any further action against him, leading to a criminal investigation into the possible concealment of crimes.