A 74-year-old man in Belgium has been sentenced to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a young boy with Down’s syndrome. The retired doctor from Liège received his sentence at the Liège Court of Appeal, with one-third of the term suspended. The court learned that the abuse occurred in March and May 2021. The victim disclosed being assaulted twice by the perpetrator, who had maintained a relationship with the boy’s father and saw patients post-retirement.
The child recounted one attack happening during a shared shower at the doctor’s residence after a sports activity. The other incident was less detailed. Despite the accused denying the allegations, his explanations for being in the shower with the child were inconsistent. Medical examinations confirmed signs of sexual abuse, and a psychological evaluation identified the former GP as having a narcissistic personality.
In a previous trial in September, the defendant was initially sentenced to a five-year term, with two-thirds suspended. The prosecution requested a six-year prison sentence due to the victim’s vulnerability, while the doctor’s defense sought an acquittal or a suspended sentence.
This case emerges amidst a concerning medical child abuse situation in France involving Joel Le Scouarnec, a 74-year-old paedophile surgeon. Le Scouarnec confessed to 111 rapes and 188 sexual assaults on multiple individuals, primarily underage patients, over many years. He was handed the maximum 20-year prison sentence for his crimes. Notably, he had previously been incarcerated in 2020 for similar offenses against children.
During investigations, authorities found electronic records detailing decades of abuse on young patients at various medical facilities in western France. The victims, totaling 299, included both males and females with an average age of 11. Prosecutors highlighted that the severity of the charges was exacerbated by his status as a respected healthcare professional, enabling him to evade justice for an extended period.
Le Scouarnec kept meticulous records in a diary, listing the names, ages, and types of abuse inflicted on his victims. Allegedly, he wrote on his birthday each year, “I am a paedophile, and I am proud of it.”