a dentist sentenced to 15 years in prison for rape and sexual assault on patients

The sentence is heavier than the 14 years in prison required by theGeneral Counsel. A dentist was sentenced on Friday, April 7, to 15 years’ imprisonment by the Loiret Assize Court, in Orléans, for three rapes and more than twenty sexual assaults committed during acupuncture sessions practiced in his office. The jurors also pronounced a permanent ban on practicing the profession of dental surgeon and acupuncturist, as well as the seizure of his dental practice.

The 62-year-old man was found guilty of taking advantage, for more than 20 years, of acupuncture sessions, used in particular as an alternative method to soothe patients stressed by dental care, to commit sexual assaults which could go as far as up to rape by digital penetration. Some of the sessions were filmed using a spy camera.

Victims aged between 16 and 24

During the first days of the trial which began on March 27, the dentist, in pre-trial detention since the spring of 2019, had opened the door to a partial confession. Faced with his victims, all aged 16 to 24 at the time of the events, the sexagenarian however remained evasive about his responsibilities.

The dentist was finally sentenced for three rapes, including one on a minor over 15 years old. He was also found guilty of around twenty sexual assaults, with the aggravating circumstances that the facts were committed by a person abusing the authority conferred on him by his position. The man was however acquitted of three sexual assaults, as well as acts of torture and acts of barbarism.