Laura Gozzi reporting from court in Vannes for BBC News, shares details of the trial of Joel Le Scouarnec, a former French surgeon accused of abusing hundreds of patients, mostly children. Le Scouarnec admitted to committing “despicable acts” and expressed his understanding and shared the suffering of his alleged victims. The trial, which began in Vannes, saw Le Scouarnec addressing the court, acknowledging the indelible wounds he caused. The accused is facing charges of assaulting or raping 299 patients, the majority of whom were under 15 years old, between 1989 and 2014 in Brittany. The trial, described as the largest child abuse trial in French history, included emotional testimonies from victims and detailed evidence from police investigations. Despite admitting to the majority of the charges, Le Scouarnec’s actions have had a lasting impact on the lives of his victims, causing serious psychological trauma. Demonstrations outside the courthouse called attention to systemic failures that allowed Le Scouarnec to continue working with children, despite warnings and previous allegations. The trial is expected to continue with further testimonies and evidence presented in court. Laura Gozzi “Es inaceptable que [la asociación] esté sentada junto a las víctimas”, dijo. La sesión del lunes cerró temprano, algo que es poco probable que vuelva a suceder durante el juicio, que se llevará a cabo en un horario ajustado y está previsto que termine en junio. A petición de los demandantes, algunas sesiones se llevarán a cabo a puerta cerrada, pero grandes partes de ellas estarán abiertas a periodistas y miembros del público. La ex esposa de Le Scouarnec y sus hermanos serán escuchados en el tribunal el martes. Preguntada por qué estaba asistiendo a procedimientos que sin duda incluirán detalles sórdidos y gráficos de abuso, una mujer haciendo cola para entrar en la sala de desbordamiento le dijo a la BBC que quería ver “a este médico, este Sr. Cualquiera”. “Quiero ver de lo que la naturaleza humana es capaz, porque todo esto, simplemente me supera”, dijo.
