French investigators fear that the number of victims of a pedophile surgeon who allegedly abused a number of minor patients under anesthesia is far higher than previously thought.
There could be 349 victims, some cases have already expired. Prosecutor Laureline Peyrefitte said in Lorient, Breton, according to French media reports. So far, there have been around 250 possible victims. The man is accused of sexual assault and rape, affecting underage patients.
The 68-year-old doctor, who has worked in several cities in western France over the past decades, was taken into custody about two years ago. The investigation is unusually extensive, 229 people have been heard so far. Of these, 197 reported, the AFP news agency reported. According to this, a trial in Saintes in western France is planned in March, involving four victims of the doctor.