Diaries of a monster: French surgeon’s record details a catalogue of child abuse
Warning: This article contains references to suicide and material readers might find disturbing
Every year, on his birthday, Joel Le Scouarnec composed an entry in his diary. First, he would record his age. Then he would write: “I am a paedophile, and I am proud of it.”
To the rest of the world, he seemed like a respected medical professional, a surgeon who cared for thousands of patients and provided support to their relatives. But Le Scouarnec, now 74, hid a dark secret – his compulsion to abuse children.
Former surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec
He’s now on trial, accused of a litany of sex crimes involving 299 alleged victims, almost all of whom were his patients, and most of whom were children. In total, he’s accused of 300 separate offences – 111 rapes and 189 sexual assaults – which took place across 25 years in more than a dozen hospitals.
The average age of his alleged victims was just 11 years old, split almost equally between boys and girls. He was eventually stopped in 2017, following investigations that involved multiple police forces and even the FBI.
It is a long and horrific list, agonisingly detailed by the prosecution, but it boils down to one fact – Le Scouarnec is alleged to be the most prolific child abuser ever apprehended in France and, perhaps, in all of Europe.
Quimperle Hospital
After decades of allegedly abusing patients without any repercussions, Le Scouarnec seemed to believe he was invincible. His crimes finally came to light when his six-year-old neighbour told her mother he had sexually abused her while she was playing in the garden of her home, in the town of Jonzac in southwest France.
The investigations that followed led to his conviction and imprisonment for raping and sexually assaulting four young girls in 2020. But evidence recovered by the police during that investigation revealed abuse on a far wider scale.
When the police entered Le Scouarnec’s house, they found a scene that was both sinister and shocking. There were 300,000 indecent photos and videos of children (some hard copies and some on computers), 70 child-sized dolls – some of which were chained up – wigs and, crucially, hundreds of notebooks and diaries detailing his acts of abuse.
‘This man destroyed my life’
This macabre discovery went on to change the lives of hundreds of people who had been unaware they were victims of Le Scouarnec’s crimes. Among them was Marie*. Now in her late thirties, she was just 10 years old when she was hospitalised suffering from acute appendicitis. Joel Le Scouarnec was her surgeon. In his diaries, he wrote about abusing her while she was under anaesthesia.
For many years, Marie, like many of the alleged victims, didn’t know she’d been assaulted, until a visit from the police shed light on a feeling that something had happened to her body which she couldn’t explain.
“This man destroyed my life and the lives of so many children… When I heard I was among the alleged victims, I told myself that’s the missing jigsaw piece,” said Marie. “I was shocked but then I began to make a connection between this and the problems I had experienced, especially regarding my issue with intimacy and relationships with men.”
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The FBI raised the alarm
In 2004, as part of a global investigation into paedophile networks, the FBI found evidence Le Scouarnec had shared and downloaded pornographic images of children via a website based in the United States.
The FBI alerted French authorities and the former surgeon was arrested and then charged with possession of indecent images of minors. In 2005, the case was heard in court and he was given a four-month suspended sentence. What happened is a shocking example of how this doctor’s activities were ignored, leaving him to continue his alleged abuse.
In 2006, a psychiatrist working at the same hospital as Le Scouarnec wrote to the management, expressing concern that the surgeon was practising on children despite having a conviction for sharing images on paedophile websites.
The letter was referred to the ombudsman. A similar letter of concern was sent by a trade union representing healthcare workers. But no further action was taken.
In 2008, he transferred to practise at another hospital in Jonzac. The hospital’s director had the surgeon’s file, which contained the documents regarding his previous convictions and letters of concern from colleagues, but chose to employ him.
That same year, an anaesthetist at the same hospital was convicted of possessing and sharing indecent images of children. He, too, was also allowed to continue to practise at the hospital and treat young patients.
Lawyer Francesca Satta represents some of the victims
‘He could have been stopped’
“Nobody will attack a high-ranking surgeon,” said Francesca Satta, a lawyer representing some of Le Scouarnec’s alleged victims, adding that the surgeon was “overlooked” because of his position.
She added: “The evidence was there. There were searches at his home and they found indecent images of children. The diaries existed but were not discovered… he could have been stopped.”
If, in 2006, he’d been prevented from treating children, there would be at least 20 fewer alleged victims in this case.
Among them was a little boy named Mathis Vinet.
Mathis Vinet’s grandparents have spoken out
His grandparents, Roland and Mauricette, welcomed us into their home with warm handshakes and cups of coffee. Their living room was filled with books and family photos. But they were on edge; burdened by grief and anger, mixed with a desperate desire for justice.
Their grandson, Mathis, was just 10 years old when he was taken to hospital with stomach pains and came under the care of Joel Le Scouarnec.
“He admitted our grandson and examined him,” Roland recalled, adding that the surgeon said Mathis needed to stay in hospital overnight. “He said if anything urgent happened we would be alerted.”
Le Scouarnec told the family to leave Mathis in his care. That night, he allegedly abused the boy as he lay in bed. His grandparents still have the discharge paper, signed by the former surgeon.
Roland and Mauricette say their grandson was abused
That day changed Mathis completely, according to his family.
The young boy who enjoyed helping his grandfather in the garden was replaced by a troubled youth whose life unravelled as he fell into addiction.
Like most of the other alleged victims, he remained unaware that he’d been attacked by Le Scouarnec until told by the police, more than a decade later.
“There was a knock at the door,” Mauricette remembers. “Mathis was alone. He’d started using drugs, so he thought he might be in trouble. When they left, having told him… his world came crashing in around him. He had flashbacks and called us the next day to say he was in a bad place.”
“He took drugs to make himself feel better… but it didn’t work.”
On the table, there is a picture of Mathis as a boy, beaming. In later pictures, he looks more sombre, as if he has turned in on himself.
In 2021, he took his own life, aged just 24 years old.
‘To call him a monster is an understatement’
Le Scouarnec doesn’t deny his abuse of many of the young children about whom he wrote in his diaries. He told investigators he did everything he wrote about, but didn’t realise how many children there were.
“We can call him a monster but it’s an understatement,” said Satta, who has worked across cases involving violent murderers and notorious criminals. “He has just one thing on his mind, 24/7, and that is sexually abusing young children.”
A letter with Joel Le Scouarnec’s signature
But there is another troubling unknown in this case. During the trial, 299 alleged victims will air their accusations against Le Scouarnec in court, but there could be more.
At least two years of diaries disappeared, which means more former patients of Le Scouarnec could still be unaware of what happened to them as children.
The case against the former surgeon involves so many victims, that a normal courtroom is not big enough. An annexe will be opened to accommodate the hundreds of victims, lawyers, family members, journalists and members of the public who will follow the proceedings over the next four months.
The victims will gather in a lecture theatre to watch the trial on a big screen. It is the sort of room that you might find anywhere, but as you look around, at the hundreds of seats, you are reminded that each one of these has been allocated to an alleged victim.
There are so many questions that haven’t been answered. How could so many chances to stop him have been missed? Does French society have an inbuilt fear of exposing sexual crimes? Did Le Scouarnec really act alone, or did he have a network with others?
But, above all, will these victims feel a sense of closure if the allegations against Le Scouarnec are upheld?
For Marie, it’s about protecting others. “This man is a predator of children. His place is in prison and he needs to stay there.”
Most of the alleged victims were children when they last saw Joel Le Scouarnec. Now they return as adults, to confront him in court.
Some of the pain they suffered due to abuse in a hospital may yet be healed by the punishment of a court.
*name has been changed
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
Hurricane Melissa, the world’s most powerful hurricane of the year so far, is closing in on Jamaica, with forecasters warning it could have a “catastrophic” impact.
The Category 5 hurricane has reached speeds of 175mph, already making it one of the strongest ever in the Atlantic basin.
A storm of Category 4 or higher has not hit Jamaica since records began 174 years ago.
It is expected to make landfall in the coming hours, continuing towards eastern Cuba and across the southeastern or central Bahamas.
Here’s what we know so far.
How bad could it be?
“Catastrophic” flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely when the hurricane hits, according to the US National Hurricane Centre, which warned of “total structural failure”.
Parts of the Caribbean island could see rainfall of up to 40 inches and it could cause a “life-threatening” storm surge on Jamaica’s southern coast, peaking around 13ft above ground level, the US centre said.
The storm is expected to be particularly bad along the coast of Kingston, which is home to critical infrastructure, including Jamaica’s main international airport and power plants.
Hurricane Melissa moves towards Jamaica and Cuba. Pic: CIRA/NOAA via Reuters
Live updates as hurricane approaches
Jamaica’s prime minister Andrew Holness said he expected “major damage to our road infrastructure, bridges, drains and possibly some damage to ports and airports” and warned it would take “far more resources than Jamaica has to recover”.
There are 850 shelters across the island, he added, enough for more than 20,000 people. Jamaica has a population of roughly 2.8 million.
All of Jamaica is expected to experience hurricane-force winds, heavy rainfall and flooding.
Has anyone died because of the hurricane?
Officials have said the storm is already responsible for at least seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
The three deaths in Jamaica happened during preparations for the storm’s arrival as people were cutting trees, health minister Christopher Tufton said. Thirteen people were injured, mostly due to falling off ladders and rooftops.
He urged Jamaicans to be careful during preparations, adding they should ensure all homes are stocked with enough drinking water and non-perishable food.
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Jamaica braces for Hurricane Melissa
On Monday evening Matthew Samuda, the environment minister, said the time to prepare for the storm was over and that “the time now is to listen to instruction”, advising the public to start using resources sparingly.
Evacuation orders issued as power outages hit
Map showing areas of Jamaica which have evacuation orders
Jamaica’s government has issued mandatory evacuation orders for at least seven areas in the southeast that are designated as high risk.
As of Monday night, many people had remained in their homes, according to Jamaica’s minister for science, energy, transport and telecommunication, Daryl Vaz.
“It’s very difficult, and it has always been a problem because people basically don’t take the event as seriously as they ought to,” Mr Vaz told Sky News.
He added that evacuation numbers were still “way below” the government’s targets.
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‘Very difficult’ to convince Jamaicans to evacuate
Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser based near Kingston, suggested many families were sheltering in their homes due to fears rather than complacency.
“Many have never experienced anything like this before, and the uncertainty is frightening,” he said.
“There is profound fear of losing homes and livelihoods, of injury, and of displacement.”
An estimated 52,000 people lost power as the hurricane approached, mostly in the western part of the country, the Jamaica Public Service said.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, it said crews had managed to restore power for 30,000 of those affected and that they were continuing to work on the issues.
It added heavy rain and difficult terrain were “creating access challenges” and that “the safety of our crews and the public is our top priority”.
British holidaymakers locked down in hotels
Jamaica’s peak holiday season runs from mid-December to mid-April, but its tropical climate brings warmth all year round.
Hurricane season runs from June until November, but the country continues to attract tourists.
One of them is Andrew Tracey, a British holidaymaker who told Sky News he has been locked down in his hotel room until Wednesday at the earliest, having arrived on 20 October.
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Briton in Jamaica: ‘There is an undercurrent of panic’
He also estimated there were at least 200 people from the UK staying at the same complex.
With all airports in Jamaica closed, his flight was cancelled and there was “nothing really we could do”, he said.
“If I knew that the hurricane would hit while I was out here, I wouldn’t have gone at all,” he said.
“It’s hard to comprehend what we’re about to expect. I’ve never experienced any kind of hurricane, let alone a Category 5.
“The tension in the hotel last night when we went down for dinner was definitely one of nerves, even locals.”
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Hotel owner preparing for ‘catastrophic situation’
What route will Hurricane Melissa take?
Eastern Cuba is next in the path of Melissa, with tropical storm conditions expected to hit on Tuesday evening, including rainfall of up to 20 inches.
More than 500,000 people living in coastal and mountainous areas vulnerable to heavy winds and flooding have been evacuated, according to authorities.
Some 250,000 people were also accommodated in shelters around Santiago de Cuba, the second-largest city that lies right in the hurricane’s expected path.
A hurricane watch is in effect across the southeastern and central Bahamas, along with the British Overseas Territory, Turks and Caicos Islands.
They could be affected on Wednesday and the National Hurricane Centre expects flash floods with up to 8 inches of rainfall in tropical storm and hurricane conditions.
US warships in the region, the green light for covert operations, and deadly strikes on what the Trump administration claims are “narco terrorists” – could America’s next move be to strike Venezuela?
President Donald Trump has accused President Nicolas Maduro of leading an organised crime gang (without providing evidence) and declined to answer when questioned if the CIA has the authority to assassinate him.
In return, the Venezuelan leader has accused Mr Trump of seeking regime change and of “fabricating a new eternal war” against his country, as he appealed to the American people for peace.
The rhetoric coming out of the White House, coupled with the presence of military ships in the region, has raised questions about a possible armed conflict between the US and Venezuela.
The question in the air is: Will the US actually attack Venezuela?
The USS Gravely destroyer arrives in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on 26 October. Pic: AP
What are US warships doing?
The docking of the USS Gravely guided missile destroyer in the capital of Trinidad and Tobago – just 25 miles from the coast of Venezuela – is the latest incident to escalate tensions.
Venezuela’s government condemned the arrival and called it a provocation by Trinidad and Tobago and the US.
The USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier – the largest warship in the world – is also moving closer to Venezuela.
Satellite image shows USS Gerald R Ford on 25 October off the coast of Croatia, a day after the announcement it would be deployed to the Caribbean. Pic: EU Copernicus
It comes as the US has acknowledged carrying out at least seven strikes since September on vessels near Venezuela that it claims were transporting drugs, killing at least 32 people.
Venezuela’s government says the strikes are illegal, amount to murder, and are acts of aggression.
Earlier this month, Trump confirmed he has authorised the CIA to carry out covert operations – including lethal operations – in Venezuela.
The CIA has a long history of operations in Latin America, with actions varying widely from direct paramilitary engagement to intelligence gathering and support roles with little to no physical footprint.
What could happen?
To get an idea of what could happen next, Sky News spoke to Dr Carlos Solar, an expert on Latin American security at the RUSI defence thinktank.
He says the level of military strategy the US is applying around Venezuela seems “unproportionate” for the task of tackling drug trafficking.
In Venezuela, the government has civilians trained in the use of weapons to defend the country in the event of a US attack. Pic: AP
“A build-up this size can only suggest there’s a strategic military goal,” he added.
Dr Solar says the role of the CIA is “not surprising”, as the US often deploys spying capabilities in countries deemed adversarial.
“With the chances of a military conflict looming, having the most intelligence capable on the ground would be reasonable.”
The world’s largest warship, the USS Gerald R Ford, has been tasked to the Caribbean. File pic: Reuters
Asked what could happen next, Dr Solar told Sky News: “One scenario is Trump authorises a round of long-range precision attacks in Venezuela’s territory linked to drug trafficking operations, eventually forcing Maduro to reciprocate later.
“We saw this early in the year when the US attacked Iran’s nuclear facilitates and Tehran returned missiles to US bases in Qatar.
“If the US decides to move more strongly, destroying all critical military targets from the Venezuelan forces, then the US could have Maduro surrender and leave the country immediately.
“This would be the least disruptive without causing greater destabilisation of the country.”
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Venezuelan President: ‘We don’t want a war’
What does Trump say about Venezuela?
Trump said his reasons for the strikes on vessels were the migration of Venezuelans, allegedly including former prisoners, to the US – and drug trafficking.
“I authorised for two reasons really,” he said. “Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America…they came in through the border. They came in because we had an open border,” he told reporters. “And the other thing are drugs.”
He has accused Venezuela of trafficking huge amounts of cocaine into the US, and alleged Mr Maduro is the leader of the Tren de Aragua gang – a claim most of his own intelligence agencies do not support.
President Donald Trump is currently on a tour of Asia. Pic: Reuters
The US leader has not provided evidence for the claim about prisoners, and Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay pointed out the fentanyl drug that is causing destruction in America is largely manufactured in Mexico, not Venezuela.
“We are looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Mr Trump added. It is not clear what actions this could entail.
The Pentagon recently disclosed to US Congress that the president has determined the US is engaged in “a non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels.
When asked if the CIA has the authority to execute Maduro, which would be a massive intervention, Trump declined to answer. Instead, he said: “I think Venezuela is feeling heat.”
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Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro. Pic: Reuters
What does Venezuela’s leader say?
Maduro has been in power since 2013, including re-elections in contests marred by accusations of fraud.
The last decade has seen his country gripped by spiralling hyperinflation and a humanitarian crisis that has seen an estimated eight million Venezuelans flee the country.
As the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier moved closer to Venezuela, Maduro accused the US government of “fabricating a new eternal war” against his country.
Venezuelan ambassador to the UN, Samuel Moncada, holds a newspaper article about a recent US military strike. Pic: Reuters
“They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war that we will avoid,” he said in a national address.
“They are fabricating an extravagant narrative, a vulgar, criminal and totally fake one,” he added, perhaps a reference to Trump’s claim that he is the leader of the Tren de Aragua gang and that his country trafficks cocaine into the US.
“Venezuela is a country that does not produce cocaine leaves.”
Members of Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Guard. Pic: Reuters
Tren de Aragua, which traces its roots to a Venezuelan prison, is not known for having a big role in global drug trafficking but instead for its involvement in contract killings, extortion, and people smuggling.
Venezuela has raised a complaint to the UN Security Council and demanded accountability from the US.
An estimated 1.2 million people a week have conversations with ChatGPT that indicate they are planning to take their own lives.
The figure comes from its parent company OpenAI, which revealed 0.15% of users send messages including “explicit indicators of potential suicide planning or intent”.
Earlier this month, the company’s chief executive Sam Altman estimated that ChatGPT now has more than 800 million weekly active users.
While the tech giant does aim to direct vulnerable people to crisis helplines, it admitted “in some rare cases, the model may not behave as intended in these sensitive situations”.
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OpenAI launches web browser
OpenAI evaluated over 1,000 “challenging self-harm and suicide conversations” with its latest model GPT-5 and found it was compliant with “desired behaviours” 91% of the time.
But this would potentially mean that tens of thousands of people are being exposed to AI content that could exacerbate mental health problems.
The company has previously warned that safeguards designed to protect users can be weakened in longer conversations – and work is under way to address this.
“ChatGPT may correctly point to a suicide hotline when someone first mentions intent, but after many messages over a long period of time, it might eventually offer an answer that goes against our safeguards,” OpenAI explained.
OpenAI’s blog post added: “Mental health symptoms and emotional distress are universally present in human societies, and an increasing user base means that some portion of ChatGPT conversations include these situations.”
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Parents suing OpenAI after death of son
A grieving family is currently in the process of suing OpenAI – and allege ChatGPT was to blame for their 16-year-old boy’s death.
Adam Raine’s parents claim the tool “actively helped him explore suicide methods” and offered to draft a note to his relatives.
Court filings suggest that, hours before he died, the teenager uploaded a photo that appeared to show his suicide plan – and when he asked whether it would work, ChatGPT offered to help him “upgrade” it.
Last week, the Raines updated their lawsuit and accused OpenAI of weakening the safeguards to prevent self-harm in the weeks before his death in April this year.
In a statement, the company said: “Our deepest sympathies are with the Raine family for their unthinkable loss. Teen wellbeing is a top priority for us – minors deserve strong protections, especially in sensitive moments.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
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