Patrick Le Scouarnec claims his sister-in-law covered for her husband Joel because she liked his high salary – and allegedly turned a blind eye to him abusing hundreds of children
The wife of a child rapist surgeon believed to be ‘France’s worst ever paedophile’ covered up his crimes because ‘she loved his salary’, a court heard today.
Marie-France Le Scouarnec was portrayed as a ruthless accomplice to Joël Le Scouarnec, who is on trial at the Morbihan Criminal Court, in Vannes, Brittany. The court was told she spent her days taking lovers and going to aquaerobics, while her once highly respected surgeon husband repeatedly attacked children, it was alleged.
Le Scouarnec, 74, is said to have raped and sexually abused 158 males and 141 females, with an average age of 11, over 30 years. His estranged wife – who is the mother of his three sons – lived with him throughout that time, and has always denied knowing what he was doing.
But Patrick Le Scouarnec, the 70-year-old brother of the defendant, told the court that she was being untruthful. He told the hearing: “There is another person who could have ensured that my brother was arrested – it is his wife, Marie-France. She was aware of her husband’s actions and she did nothing.”
Appearing to direct his comments at Ms Le Scouarnec, who was in court, he said: “Actually, Marie-France, I wonder if she loved her husband for money or for love. Quite honestly, I think it was mostly for his salary. When you have a husband who earns 10,000 Euros per month net [about £8,300], it’s something that allowed my sister-in-law not to work. She could go and do aquaerobics, a whole series of activities. Well, that’s it.”
Mr Le Scouarnec said Marie-France Le Scouarnec had ‘numerous lovers’ and recalled her once ‘leaving a party during the aperitif to join one.’ He said she ‘slept with the husband of her sister’ and ‘made advances to me around 1983′.
Victims of Le Scouarnec have also accused Ms Le Scouarnec of covering up his ‘paedocriminal activities’ for decades. They spoke out on Tuesday, the second day of the trial, describing the couple as ‘evil’. In turn, Ms Le Scouarnec said: “I wondered how I could have not noticed anything. It’s a terrible betrayal that he committed against me and my children.”
But a letter handwritten by Ms Le Scouarnec in 2010 that was also entered as evidence read: “I ask you to please protect my youngest son, the only one who does not know his father’s past.” This was seven years before detectives arrested Le Scouarnec in connection with offences against minors.
In December 2020, he was sentenced to 15 years for the sexual abuse of four girls: a six-year-old neighbour, a four-year-old patient, and two of his own nieces, who were also four when the abuse started. In comments that were published and broadcast across France yesterday, victims called for Ms Le Scouarnec to be prosecuted too.
Marie-Caroline Arrighi, a spokesman for four victims, said outside court: “She knew. Marie-France Le Scouarnec knew and protected her husband.” The Le Scouarnecs first met in 1974, when both were in their early 20s, and married soon afterwards, but they have since separated.
The trial continues, and is expected to conclude in June.
