A French court has given the maximum 20-year jail term to a surgeon who admitted sexually abusing hundreds of patients, most of them children, over more than two decades.

The three-month trial of Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, has brought to light the extent of his crimes and the suffering of his victims but also raised questions of why more was not done sooner to stop him.

Le Scouarnec, one of the most prolific convicted sexual predators in France’s history, was already in prison after being sentenced in 2020 to 15 years for raping and sexually assaulting four children, including two of his nieces.

The 20-year sentence for aggravated rape handed down by presiding judge Aude Buresi was the maximum that could be given on the charge of aggravated rape in France, where sentences are not added together on individual counts.

Le Scouarnec will not be able to ask for parole until two-thirds of the verdict is served. His lawyer said he will not appeal his conviction.

• AFP