One of the patients of radiologist François Py could not resist asking him a question that many residents of Loches, a small town in central France, were pondering: “Just between us, doctor, you were aware of the situation, weren’t you?” The situation in question involved Joël Le Scouarnec, a 74-year-old former surgeon currently on trial since February 24 for rape and sexual assault against 299 alleged victims, the majority of whom are minors.
While testifying, the radiologist assured the court, as he likely did with his patients, “I had no knowledge of this. I feel deep sympathy for all the victims, but I am completely uninvolved.” Anesthetist Christophe Ménard, also on the stand, expressed his bewilderment, stating, “No one noticed anything; he appeared to be in control, not at all someone who was losing his grip.” The agreement among witnesses was so strong that Laurence Delhaye, a magistrate at the Brittany criminal court, posed the question: “Was there a conversation among you to ensure everyone provided the same account?” Over a hundred doctors from ten different facilities were interviewed during the investigation, and none reported any behavior or comments from Le Scouarnec that would indicate pedophilia. In recent days, the court has begun to outline a profile of the accused, portraying him as a doctor in a white coat, questioning how a surgeon could treat a young patient and then commit sexual assault, sometimes within mere minutes.
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