A French former surgeon accused of abusing hundreds of patients, most of them children, has told a court that he admits to having "committed despicable acts" and "understands and shares the suffering" caused to his alleged victims, reports the BBC.
Joël Le Scouarnec is accused of assaulting or raping 299 patients, the vast majority under 15 years old, between 1989 and 2014, mostly in Brittany.
"I am perfectly aware that these wounds are indelible, beyond repair," Le Scouarnec said, in a halting but clear voice.
The white-haired 74-year-old, who wore glasses and a black zip-up sweater over a grey shirt, was addressing the court in Vannes, north-west France, on the first day of the largest child abuse trial in French history.
Warning: This story contains distressing details
"I can't go back, but I owe it to [the victims] and their relatives to admit my actions and the consequences they had and that they undoubtedly will continue to have throughout their lives," Le Scouarnec told the court.
Throughout the day - which was mainly devoted to technical proceedings - he had looked attentive but had no particular reaction when two visibly nervous men in their 30s took the stand to identify themselves as his victims.
The youngest of Le Scouarnec's alleged victims was aged one and the oldest 70.
Police were able to identify them thanks to meticulously-compiled diaries in which Le Scouarnec is alleged to have logged assaults he carried out on his young patients over more than 25 years.