French surgeon sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping and abusing hundreds of patients
A 74-year-old former surgeon was given a maximum 20-year prison sentence Wednesday by a French court for the rape and sexual assault of hundreds of patients, mostly children, over more than two decades.
Joël Le Scouarnec was sentenced after admitting molesting nearly 300 victims in one of the country's largest-ever child sex abuse cases, which has raised questions about how he was able to abuse so many, for so long.
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Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
In brief: Mounties assaulted, Lac du Bonnet arrests, Selinger doctorate, food recall
A suspect bit a Selkirk RCMP officer while she was being arrested early on Saturday, Mounties say. Officers were called about a disturbance at a home on Outhwaite Drive in Selkirk just before 3 a.m. Saturday, but were told the woman who had been fighting people in the home had left before police arrived, RCMP say. The Mounties patrolled the area and didn't find her, but 20 minutes later, the suspect returned to the house, where they found her outside the front door. SUPPLIED North Shore Fishery frozen breaded shrimp patties (above) and tempura shrimp rolls have been recalled. RCMP say as officers brought her to their cruiser, the suspect kicked at one of the Mounties and then bit another officer, who went for medical treatment, in the leg. Mounties say she continued to be violent and harm herself at the local detachment and paramedics took her to the Selkirk hospital for treatment. A 22-year-old woman is facing charges for resisting arrest and two counts of assaulting a police officer. TWO MEN were arrested after police observed a break and enter at a Lac du Bonnet business. After arriving at the Minnewawa Street business at 5 a.m. on May 29, RCMP officers said they saw a utility task vehicle driven off the yard at a high rate of speed. Officers chased the vehicle until it abruptly stopped. Two males were arrested without incident. RCMP later determined the side-by-side vehicle was stolen from the business and other stolen items were scattered nearby. The total value of the items is $27,000. A 26-year-old man and a 40-year-old man, both from Fort Alexander, were charged with break and enter, theft over $5,000, flight from police and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. They were remanded in custody. Université de Saint-Boniface will award former premier Greg Selinger an honorary doctorate in recognition of his longtime commitment to French-language education and for making an 'indelible mark' on Manitoba. The honorary doctorate — the highest degree granted by the francophone university, the only one of its kind in western Canada — will be unveiled at a convocation ceremony on June 16. It is being conferred in partnership with the University of Manitoba. SUPPLIED North Shore Fishery frozen tempura shrimp rolls Selinger, 74, served as the 21st premier of Manitoba from 2009 to 2016. He held numerous political roles during his two decades in public office, the majority of which was spent as an NDP MLA for St. Boniface. 'Under his guidance, the government adopted a holistic approach to promoting the sustainable, long-term development of Manitoba's Francophonie,' the USB said in a news release. The release credits Selinger with expanding the province's network of French-language and immersion schools and playing a key role in granting the school full university status. Selinger, a U of M alum, was a social worker in Winnipeg's North End. He returned to his alma mater to teach in its social work school before entering politics in 1989. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced Wednesday it is recalling North Shore Fishery brand frozen breaded shrimp patties and frozen tempura shrimp rolls as allergens egg, soy and milk were not declared on the label. The items, sold in Manitoba and B.C., should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.
Montreal Gazette
a day ago
- Montreal Gazette
Can a city councillor call people ‘idiots' on Facebook? A judge will decide
By Can a municipal councillor insult others on social media — calling them 'idiots,' 'morons' and much worse — if the exchange has nothing to do with their official duties? That question was put to Quebec administrative judge Sandra Bilodeau on Wednesday during an ethics hearing involving Andrew Caddell, an anglophone rights advocate and town councillor in Kamouraska. At the heart of the case is a long, heated Facebook exchange about anglophones, conducted in French on New Year's Eve, in which Caddell commented. Topics included Bill 96, Quebec's language law reform, which Caddell described as 'discriminatory.' After investigating a complaint, the Quebec Municipal Commission determined Caddell likely contravened Kamouraska's ethics rules 13 times, citing conduct that was 'disrespectful or uncivil' and lacking in 'honour.' He could be fined up to $4,000 or suspended from his elected duties for up to 90 days. At the hearing, Laurie Beaulieu, a lawyer for the commission, noted that Caddell's Facebook profile mentions that he is a Kamouraska councillor, and he mentioned it on 10 occasions during the Facebook discussion. Beaulieu said Caddell told some individuals to 'go f--- themselves' and called others morons, idiots, bigots and losers. He also used the abbreviation 'TDC,' which, in context, clearly was shorthand for the French word for 'a--hole,' she said. She said the words used breached Kamouraska's ethics code, which forbids councillors from engaging in 'offensive, disparaging, or intimidating actions, or any form of incivility of a vexatious nature.' Elected officials are entitled to express their opinions freely, Beaulieu said. But their position requires them to do so with restraint, and Caddell's behaviour was 'objectively contrary to the honour and dignity of the office.' Beaulieu added: 'Mr. Caddell has the right to express his views on the Charter of the French Language — that is not under debate today. However, he must do so while respecting the rules of ethics and professional conduct.' Caddell is president of the Task Force on Linguistic Policy, which has raised more than $200,000 to finance a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Bill 96. He's also a columnist with the Hill Times, an Ottawa political publication. Michael Bergman, a lawyer representing Caddell, argued that the comments, which he described as 'hard, difficult, strong, emotional, and passionate,' were made outside of Caddell's duties as a councillor. 'They had nothing to do with the needs, policies, affairs, or operations of the municipality of Kamouraska,' Bergman said. 'It was an exchange — a difficult one with intense words, without a doubt — between people regarding linguistic and minority questions across Quebec and Canada.' Elected municipal officials must be able to exercise their freedom of expression, he said, adding there is no precedent of a municipal councillor being subject to an ethics complaint for social media activity unrelated to their municipal role. Bergman described Caddell's French as 'exemplary,' noting that in the online discussion, he simply used 'street language — the kind of everyday talk Quebecers don't take issue with.' One should also consider the context of the Facebook discussion, he said. He pointed out that Caddell was under intense attack from others. Among other things, he was called a racist, a 'Rhodesian' and a 'supremacist' and told to 'take the 401 and screw off.' Bergman argued Caddell should be cleared in part because of a discrepancy between the English and French versions of Kamouraska's ethics code. In French, it refers to councillors being respectful toward 'citizens,' while the English one says 'citizens of the municipality.' Bergman said there's no proof anyone in the Facebook discussion — on the page operated by political commentator and former politician Nic Payne — was a resident of Kamouraska. For her part, Beaulieu cited the French version of the code. She said it's clear from the context that 'the notion of citizen must be interpreted broadly and liberally. (The code) in no way establishes that the term 'citizen' is limited to residents of the same municipality as the elected official.' The judge gave the two sides two weeks to submit briefs regarding the discrepancy between the French and English versions of the ethics code. A ruling is expected within three months. Caddell was elected as a councillor in Kamouraska, a municipality (population 607) in the Bas-St-Laurent region, in 2021. Caddell is a former Montreal West town commissioner who ran for the federal Liberals in 2011.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
RCMP says it will collect info on possible war crimes in Gaza war
OTTAWA – The RCMP says it will 'proactively' collect information about possible war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Israel-Hamas armed conflict. In a Wednesday statement, the Mounties stressed that they have no criminal investigations underway but they want to collect information on possible crimes by any party involved in the conflict. 'The primary objective is to proactively collect relevant information that may support future investigative steps, should jurisdictional and legal thresholds be met,' says the statement. The statement came from the force's Ontario division based in London, and not from the headquarters in Ottawa. The RCMP says it initiated 'a structural investigation' in 'early 2024' of the conflict that started in October 2023, when Hamas militants brazenly attacked Israel and took dozens of hostages, prompting Israel to bombard the Gaza Strip and restrict food deliveries. 'A structural investigation is a broad, intelligence-led intake process designed to collect, preserve, and assess information potentially relevant under Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act. This includes gathering open-source material and voluntary submissions from individuals wishing to provide information,' the statement says. The RCMP said that this is standard procedure and the force hasn't initiated any criminal probes. 'Should a perpetrator of core international crimes — such as genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity — with the appropriate nexus to Canada be identified, the RCMP will initiate a separate criminal investigation,' the statement reads. The force says it has faced technical delays in rolling out 'a secure online portal available in French, English, Hebrew and Arabic, to facilitate (investigations) and secure any submissions of information by the public and potential witnesses.' 'We urge the public to refrain from drawing premature conclusions about the RCMP's role or intent,' the statement wrote. 'This initiative is solely focused on collecting relevant information and does not target any community or group.' The RCMP statement comes after the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs suggested that talk of war crimes probes encourage 'false narratives' that can fuel a rise in antisemitic violence. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, a group advocating for Palestinians, has asked the RCMP to probe Canadian citizens serving in the Israeli military in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria, given 'the serious likelihood that they are involved in the commission of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.
