In January 2004, the FBI reported to the French courts that Joël Le Scouarnec frequented child pornography sites. The doctor admits. He was returned to corrections in August 2005. In the meantime, 29 children have been victims of his actions, according to the lawyer for La Voix de l’Enfant.
Master Frédéric Benoist, lawyer for the association La Voix de l’Enfant, denounces the “bankruptcy of the judicial institution”, while franceinfo reveals Thursday, February 9 that 10 years before the arrest of surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec in 2017 for sexual assault on nearly 300 children, an alert had been launched within the Ministry of Health, but had remained a dead letter. In 2005, twelve years before his arrest, the surgeon was sentenced for possession of child pornography. At the time, justice did not transmit the information, neither to the hospital in which the surgeon worked, nor to the College of Physicians. “Everything went wrong”comments Maître Frédéric Benoist. “La Voix de l’Enfant is currently considering initiating complaints and actions to denounce and punish these facts”, indicates the lawyer.
>> “I am a big pervert and I am very happy about it”: diving into the notebooks of Joël Le Scouarnec, former surgeon suspected of pedophilia
franceinfo: Should we speak of judicial negligence?
Frederic Benoist: It is a bankruptcy of the judicial institution. France has been informed by the American judicial authorities.
“There was a report from Doctor Le Scouarnec in January 2004. The FBI in the United States had found that Joël Le Scouarnec and other people in France were going to child pornography sites. They alerted the French judicial authorities. Joël Le Scouarnec is heard by the gendarmerie. He immediately recognizes the facts.”
Master Frédéric Benoist, lawyer for the association La Voix de l’Enfantat franceinfo
He was then sent back to the criminal court in August 2005. He was given a four-month suspended prison sentence. During these 20 months, between January 2004, the report, and the hearing in August 2005, there were 29 alleged victims. The judicial authority should obviously have informed the health authorities so that Joël Le Scouarnec is put aside. It should have been automatic. Absolutely not today. These facts which are obviously devastating, today, unfortunately, could still be reproduced and renewed.
A note from the Ministry of Health, at the time, said that the surgeon should not have been established, but that it is difficult to sanction or write him off. How do you explain this position?
This reluctance may be the result of the fact that the council of the College of Physicians of Finistère, in December 2006, had, almost unanimously, considered that the conviction of Joël Le Scouarnec in 2005 was not contrary to the provisions of the article 3 of the Code of medical ethics: “The doctor must in all circumstances respect the principles of morality, probity and essential devotion”. So the health authorities were obviously very embarrassed because this decision not to prosecute was not in Joël Le Scouarnec’s file.
Nothing worked in this case?
Everything malfunctioned. The judicial institution, the health authorities. We must consider that this note, undated, must be from March 2007, ten years before the arrest. It is not signed. We have a few ideas about where it comes from. This is obviously in the services of the health administration.
In the cabinet of the minister at the time?
No no. Probably not. It is precisely the instruction that should be able to make it possible to move forward on this point.
Are you going to ask for clarifications, explanations?
In view of all these events, we may even go further. La Voix de l’enfant is now considering taking action. The facts are extremely serious, absolutely no prevention, no securing of this entire population of children, an incalculable number of victims. There is obviously non-support.
“There is obviously a danger to others by these negligence, by these failures and by these deficiencies.”
Frederic Benoistat franceinfo
La Voix de l’enfant is currently thinking about initiating complaints and actions to denounce and have these facts punished.