French pedophile surgeon's wife knew and 'did nothing', his brother tells court

The then wife of the French former surgeon on trial for allegedly assaulting or raping 299 patients was aware of his actions but "did nothing", the doctor's brother told the court Wednesday.

Retired surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, has been on trial since Monday in one of the country's largest child sex abuse cases.

Two hundred and fifty-six of the victims were under 15 at the time, the youngest aged one and the oldest 70.

Marie-France, who divorced Le Scouarnec in 2023, "could have made sure that my brother was arrested", his brother told the court.

The brother, 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.

He 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.

Five years his junior, the brother claimed to have cut all ties with Le Scouarnec since his arrest in 2017.

Marie-France was expected to speak later Wednesday.

She has said she never had the slightest suspicion about her husband's pedophilic tendencies.

Le Scouarnec meticulously documented his crimes, noting his victims' names, ages and addresses and the nature of the abuse.

The surgeon practised for decades until his retirement, despite a 2005 sentence for owning sexually abusive images of children and colleagues raising concerns about him.

The case has caused outrage in a country still traumatized by the revelations of the recent trial of Dominique Pelicot, who was convicted of enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his heavily sedated wife.

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 anesthetic or during post-op checkups.

Under French law, rape is "any act of sexual penetration, of whatever nature, or any oral-genital act committed on another person or on the person of the perpetrator through violence, coercion, threat or surprise".

© Agence France-Presse