This trial revolves around a singular figure: 299. Until now, the sheer number of victims appeared overwhelming, yet it felt abstract within the confines of the Brittany criminal court, where Joël Le Scouarnec has been on trial since February 24. The proceedings have now taken a significant turn: it is time for the victims to share their testimonies. Following the same procedure, they took the stand one by one. All are adults today, as the rapes and sexual assaults occurred between 1989 and 2014. A photograph of each plaintiff from the time of the abuse was displayed on the screens. Suddenly, the courtroom was filled with the essence of childhood: children with eyes sparkling in the sunlight, toothless smiles, skipping ropes, birthday candles, and the dimples of a chubby three-year-old on the day of the assault. The number transformed into a procession of young victims, each with a unique story, representing 299 distinct shades of sorrow.
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“What traumatized me the most? The police,” recounted a farmer while on the stand. When he was called to the police station, he assumed it was due to some wrongdoing on his part, as is often the case in such situations. However, he realized that the reality was far worse. “I learned that I was a victim,” he reflected. During a 20-minute hearing, which included formalities, a police officer informed him that he had been raped under anesthesia in the operating room nearly 30 years prior. On a chilly winter morning in 2020, the farmer found himself alone in the parking lot of the police station, his life shattered. As he faced the court, he struggled to maintain his composure. “It turned me upside down,” he managed to say.
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