PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th December, 2019) The number of minors who could have been raped and sexually assaulted by retired French surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec during his almost three decade-long career could have been not 250, as previously believed, but as many as 349, Laureline Peyrefitte, the prosecutor of the French commune of Lorient, said on Friday.
The now-dismissed doctor has been in custody since May 2017 after he was accused of sexual assaulting four underage girls, including a six-year-old. As the investigation continued, the number of potential victims kept growing and most recently reached 250.
"As of today, the number of potential victims of le Scouarnec has risen to 349," Peyrefitte said at a press briefing.
According to her, the investigators came to this number after having spoken to 229 more witnesses and scrutinized years of documented evidence � including close to 300,000 photos, 650 videos and numerous writings. She added that 197 people had officially filed complaints.
In the course of the investigation, le Scouarnec's diary was found where he described sex scenes and included some of the Names of his underage victims - it helped police track them and obtain testimonies. The hearings on what could be the biggest pedophilia case of France are due to begin in March of the coming year.
