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This court sketch created on February 25, 2025 shows retired surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec listening during a hearing on the second day of his trial on charges of assaulting or raping 299 patients at the Criminal Court in Vannes, western France. [AFP]
The ex-wife of a French former surgeon on trial for allegedly assaulting or raping 299 patients insisted Wednesday that she "suspected nothing" of his crimes following accusations by the physician's brother that she was in the know and failed to act.
Retired surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, has been on trial in the western city of Vannes since Monday in one of the country's largest child sex abuse cases.
A total of 256 of the victims were under 15 at the time, the youngest aged one and the oldest 70.
"There's nothing to make me think this. Nothing, nothing, nothing... I never had any doubts," his ex-wife Marie-France told the court.
Marie-France, 71, who divorced Le Scouarnec in 2023, accused his niece of "lying" about sexual violence committed by the former surgeon and denied knowing about paedophile tendencies.
Earlier in the day, the doctor's younger brother told the court that Marie-France "could have made sure that my brother was arrested".
The sibling, whose name AFP is not disclosing to protect his privacy, admitted to a strong feeling of dislike towards his brother's then-wife and acknowledged that he had no "proof" to support his claims.
The brother accused Marie-France of "loving her husband for his money" and having sexual relations with other men while she was married.
He also said his brother should be imprisoned for life.
"It would be good for society," he added.
The former surgeon is already in jail, having been found guilty in 2020 of abusing four children, including two of his nieces.
He previously served a suspended jail sentence in 2005 for owning sexually abusive images of children.
Despite that verdict and colleagues raising concerns about him, the surgeon practised for decades until his retirement.
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In the latest trial, Le Scouarnec faces allegations that he assaulted or raped 299 patients at a dozen hospitals between 1989 and 2014, in many cases while they were waking up from anaesthetic or during post-op checkups.
"I committed the worst of crimes, I know it is unforgivable, and I know you will never forgive me," he said.
"But in the name of our memories, I ask for your forgiveness," he added.
Marie-France, dressed in dark clothing, told the court she had an "excellent" relationship with her ex-husband while casting doubt on the word of one of his nieces who accused him of rape.
"Until she was an adult, she was always hanging around my husband's neck," she said, calling her "a tortuous little girl".
Le Scouarnec is serving a 15-year sentence for the 2020 conviction. Other sexual assaults, including another niece, have not been tried because the statute of limitations has expired.
Marie-France, who claims to have been raped twice, including once as a child by her maternal uncle, said she kept quiet at the time to protect her mother.
Le Scouarnec meticulously documented his crimes, noting his victims' names, ages and addresses and the nature of the abuse.
In his notes, the doctor describes himself as a "major pervert" and a "paedophile".
"And I am very happy about it," he wrote.
'Taboos'
Under French law, rape is "any act of sexual penetration, of whatever nature, or any oral-genital act committed on another person or the person of the perpetrator through violence, coercion, threat or surprise".
The case has caused outrage in a country still traumatised by the revelations of the recent trial of Dominique Pelicot, who was convicted of enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his heavily sedated wife.
Victims and child rights advocates say Le Scouarnec's case highlights systemic shortcomings that allowed him to repeatedly commit sexual crimes.
On Tuesday two sons of the former surgeon, aged 37 and 42, told the court of the devastation their father's case had wrought on the family.
Le Scouarnec's 42-year-old son said his father's "perversion exploded like an atomic bomb" in the family.
He told the court he had himself been raped and sexually abused by his grandfather, Le Scouarnec's father, from the age of five to 10 years old.
Marie Grimaud, a lawyer representing 39 victims, said that Le Scouarnec's children grew up in a family where many things were not discussed.
"Taboos existed, there were unspoken things," she said.
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The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
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