In Belgium, a 74-year-old man has been sentenced to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a young boy with Down’s syndrome. The retired GP from Liège received the verdict at the Liège Court of Appeal, with one-third of the sentence suspended. The abuse occurred in March and May 2021, as disclosed by the child who reported being assaulted twice by the perpetrator. The accused, who maintained professional relationships post-retirement, had a close bond with the boy’s father.
The victim recounted one assault happening during a shared shower at the doctor’s residence after a sports activity. The details of the other incident were less clear. Despite the doctor’s denial, his reasons for being in the shower with the child were inconsistent. Medical examinations revealed physical evidence of the abuse, and a psychological evaluation portrayed the former GP as having a narcissistic personality.
During a prior trial in September, the defendant was initially sentenced to five years, with two-thirds of the term suspended. Prosecutors had requested a six-year imprisonment due to the victim’s vulnerability, while the defense had argued for an acquittal or a suspended sentence.
This case emerges amidst a shocking child abuse scandal in France involving Joel Le Scouarnec, a 74-year-old surgeon convicted of sexually assaulting numerous individuals, predominantly underage patients, over several decades. Le Scouarnec admitted to 111 rapes and 188 sexual assaults, leading to a 20-year prison sentence. Investigations uncovered decades of abuse documented in electronic diaries, impacting 158 males and 141 females, with an average age of 11. The severity of the charges was heightened due to his respected medical status, allowing him to evade consequences for an extended period.
The surgeon meticulously recorded his offenses in a diary, affirming his pedophilic actions annually on his birthday.
