French Doctor Accused of Abusing Hundreds of Young Patients: How Was He Allowed to Continue?

Dr. François Simon was among those aware that Joël Le Scouarnec had previously been convicted in 2005 for downloading child sexual abuse images, yet continued to perform surgeries on children as a gastric surgeon.

Over a decade later, authorities apprehended Le Scouarnec, charging him with the rape or sexual assault of 299 former patients, predominantly minors.

At the time, Dr. Simon led a regulatory board responsible for overseeing medical practitioners in Finistère, Brittany, where Le Scouarnec was employed in the late 2000s. He was one of several officials in France’s complex healthcare bureaucracy tasked with responding to Le Scouarnec’s earlier criminal record.

Ultimately, Dr. Simon acknowledged lapses in action. Instead of initiating a disciplinary hearing, he forwarded the case to the regional branch of the Ministry of Health, believing they would handle the matter more swiftly. His board nearly unanimously determined that Le Scouarnec’s conduct did not violate the medical code of ethics.

“We did what we could,” said Dr. Simon, now retired, during testimony in Vannes, a port town in Brittany, where he appeared as a reluctant witness. “I can’t say there was a systemic failure, but I regret the misunderstanding that occurred.”