Former paediatric surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec expressed a desire not for leniency but for the opportunity to become a better person as his trial wound down on Monday at the Morbihan Criminal Court in Vannes, France.
Le Scouarnec (74) – previously sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2020 for sexual assaults on four children – made the plea following closing arguments from his defence lawyers, Me Maxime Tessier and Me Thibaut Kurzawa.
Me Tessier said Le Scouarnec was not seeking to avoid the prosecutor’s recommended sentence of 20 years imprisonment with numerous security measures. However, the defence has asked the court to include favourably in their decision the exceptional nature of his admissions, since he confessed to all the charges against him on 20 March.
Me Tessier emphasised that Le Scouarnec never deflected blame and consistently took full responsibility, asserting, “I am the sole guilty party.”
The lawyer believes his client has gone as far as possible in accepting responsibility in the criminal court. He urged the court to be convinced of Le Scouarnec’s sincerity.
The court is now deliberating, and the verdict is expected on Wednesday.
