Francois, a plaintiff in the case and who was 12 when Le Scouarnec allegedly abused him, said he hoped the case would provide much-needed answers.
“I feel betrayed by authorities,” said Francois, who asked to be identified only by this name. “Why did nobody stop this surgeon from working with children?”
The health ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
WARNINGS IGNORED
Soon after Le Scouarnec secured a job at the Quimperle public hospital in 2006, a psychiatrist at the hospital alerted management to their concerns about the surgeon’s behaviour, a court document showed.
Le Scouarnec continued to work with children.
The Quimperle hospital did not respond to requests for comment on why Le Scouarnec was hired after being convicted of holding child pornography and why he was able to keep working after the psychiatrist raised their concerns.
The Lorient prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger, whose office led the investigation into Le Scouarnec’s alleged crimes, has opened a separate probe into the possible criminal liability of other public bodies or individuals who could have prevented the abuse.
“There is no way that somebody can rape and assault children for all those years without the knowing of people around. No way,” said Homayra Sellier, head of rights group Innocence in Danger, which is supporting 40 alleged victims and is a plaintiff in the case.
The health ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
The National Council of the Order of Physicians (CNOM), which oversees adherence to doctors’ code of ethics in France and has the power to discipline medics, declined to comment.
CNOM’s local branch in the Finistere administrative department, which court documents show was aware of Le Scouarnec’s 2005 conviction, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
If convicted, Le Scouarnec faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. French law does not allow sentences to be added together even when there are multiple victims.
