Joël Le Scouarnec, a 74-year-old former surgeon, hid a dark secret in plain sight—digital diaries detailing his abuse of 299 patients, mostly children, over 25 years. On May 28, 2025, a Vannes court sentenced him to 20 years for raping and assaulting his victims, many unconscious in hospital rooms. The case, France’s largest child abuse trial, was cracked open by technology, but it also exposed a system that let him slip through for decades.

From 1989 to 2014, Le Scouarnec targeted kids, often during recovery from surgery. His diaries, found after a 2017 arrest, listed names, ages, and chilling details. “I’m a major pervert,” he wrote, admitting his crimes in court. A 2005 conviction for copyright flagged him, but hospitals kept hiring him. How did oversight fail so badly?

Victims, some learning of their abuse through those diaries, rallied outside the court. “It’s not enough,” one said, fearing his release in years. For more on tech and justice, visit alttimes.

The sentence is a win, but the fight isn’t over. Victims are pushing for reforms to ensure technology catches predators before they harm again.