Page 8 - aruba today

A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 14 March 2020
Accused of abusing 349 children, French surgeon faces trial

By NICOLAS VAUX-MON- years later, there is no way
TAGNY to trace for sperm or DNA.
Associated Press Critics ask why nothing
SAINTES, France (AP) — A came out before. The sur-
retired surgeon accused of geon had already been
sexually abusing as many sentenced in 2005 to a
as 349 young children over four-month suspended pris-
decades – primarily his on sentence for possession
patients, in their hospital and importation of a child
rooms — is facing justice at pornographic image.
last, in the worst such case The trial opening Friday
to come to light in France. concerns the neighbor, two
The trial that began Friday nieces, and a child who
in the western city of Saint- was hospitalized at age 4
es is only the beginning, for acute pancreatitis in the
however. establishment where the
It concerns four people al- surgeon practiced.
legedly targeted by Joel The father of the young
Le Scouarnec, 69, including neighbor told reporters Fri-
two of his nieces. Other le- day that she had wanted
gal complaints against the to come to the trial. "Our
doctor have piled up since daughter wanted to come
the original investigation and tell him he was mean.
wrapped up, and prosecu- Exterior view of the Courthouse on the opening day of the trial "behind closed doors" of retired She is waiting for answers.
tors are preparing further French surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec in Saintes, western France, Friday, March 13, 2020. She is crying, she knows
Associated Press
action after this trial. what's going on today," he
In a pinched, quiet voice, fence between their prop- included an element of Investigators say that un- said. The Associated Press is
Le Scouarnec identified erties. fantasy. der cover of medical acts, not publishing the father's
himself to the judge as the In searching Le Scouarnec's Le Scouarnec's lawyer the doctor sexually took name to protect the girl's
proceedings opened. His home, investigators uncov- Thibault Kurzawa said Fri- advantage of children as identity.
face held a closed, emo- ered more than 300,000 day the doctor "intends to soon as they were alone in The father said that during
tionless expression. images of child and other explain himself freely" to the hospital room. They say Friday's trial, Le Scouarnec
The judge then decided pornography — as well as the court. his strategy was to pass off "did not look at the victims.
to close the proceedings extensive notebooks where The regional prosecutor, sexual violence as a profes- When I looked him in the
to the public, exception- the surgeon detailed sex- Laureline Peyrefitte, told sional gesture, and to tar- eye, he looked down."
ally, at the request of de- ual violence against both a news conference in De- get patients so young they Le Scouarnec faces up to
fense lawyers who said Le girls and boys from 1989 to cember that the number might not remember or 20 years in prison if con-
Scouarnec would speak 2017. Next to each child's of "potential victims of Le understand what was hap- victed. Recent investiga-
more freely that way. Some name were comments on Scouarnec's actions" had pening. tions have determined that
families of victims protested the nature of the sexual reached 349 by that point. He also targeted older chil- Scouarnec rubbed shoul-
the move, saying the pub- acts inflicted, according to Gendarmes questioned dren in the operating room, ders with two other doctors
lic should hear what the investigators. 229 of the people named in when they were asleep or who have been convicted
doctor had done. Le Scouarnec admitted to the notebooks, and by this under anesthesia, accord- of similar sexual abuse of
The first case reached in- police that he had "already month, 200 had filed formal ing to his diaries. children, one in the western
vestigators in 2017, when acted out" with children, in- complaints, the prosecu- With victims so young, or region of Brittany, where
a 6-year-old neighbor told cluding his nieces. He said tor's office told The Associ- unconscious, Le Scouarnec the trial is being held, and
her mother that Le Scouar- he set limits for himself, and ated Press. Many incidents was able to act without another in the the south-
nec exposed himself and denied any full penetra- occurred too long ago to aggression or threats, pros- western town of Jonzac
molested her across the tion. He claimed his diaries prosecute, however. ecutors say. And so many where he later moved.q
Greece’s first female president is sworn in

By ELENA BECATOROS of journalists were present. presidential honor guard.
Associated Press Greece has shut down Despite the warnings
ATHENS, Greece (AP) schools, universities, cin- about the virus, a small
— Greece's first female emas, theaters, gyms and crowd gathered to watch,
president, a former high nightclubs, and authori- standing behind a security
court judge, was formally ties have warned people cordon across the street.In
sworn in to office Friday, to stay home and avoid a brief speech at the presi-
nearly two months after large gatherings in an ef- dential palace, Sakellaro-
the country's parliament fort to contain the out- poulou spoke of the battle
voted overwhelmingly to break. The country so far against the coronavirus
elect her. The swearing- has 117 confirmed cases and the recent migration
in ceremony for Katerina and one death. The cere- crisis as the country's two
Sakellaropoulou, 63, took mony was being covered main challenges. Greece
place in an almost emp- live on state television. must continue to adhere
ty parliament, as part of After the swearing-in, Sake- to its democratic princi-
measures to prevent the llaropoulou lay a wreath at ples and the state of law,
spread of the new corona- the Tomb of the Unknown Newly elected Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou moving toward "a future
takes an oath during the swearing in ceremony at the Greek
virus. Only a handful of offi- Soldier in the square out- Parliament in Athens, on Friday, March 13, 2020. of prosperity that will have
cials and a limited number side parliament, before a Associated Press room for us all," she said. q