In a landmark case in Vannes France a 74-year-old former surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec was sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping and sexually assaulting 299 patients, mostly children, between 1989 and 2014. The retired doctor confessed to heinous crimes including abusing his granddaughter and niece.

His predatory tactics involved disguising assaults as medical care targeting vulnerable young patients in hospital settings. Authorities uncovered 300000 photos and 650 pedophilic videos at his home alongside notebooks detailing his acts as a self-described pedophile. Despite a 2005 conviction for possessing child sexual abuse material Le Scouarnec continued practicing until his 2017 arrest sparking outrage over systemic failures.

Prosecutors labeled him a devil in a white coat while victims criticized institutional inaction. The trial exposed France’s largest child sex abuse case raising urgent questions about oversight in the medical system.