French Lawyer Who Defended Child Abuser Surgeon Le Scouarnec Dies in Apparent Suicide
VANNES, FRANCE, JUL 9 – Maxime Tessier, 34, died by apparent suicide amid intense pressure defending Joël Le Scouarnec, who was convicted of sexually assaulting 298 patients, many children, prosecutors said.
- French lawyer Maxime Tessier, who defended surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec, died in an apparent suicide on July 9, 2025, in Rennes, France.
- Maxime Tessier was among the pair of attorneys representing Le Scouarnec, who was taken into custody in 2017 for committing sexual crimes against 298 individuals from 1989 to 2014.
- In May 2025, Le Scouarnec received a 20-year prison sentence in France for committing heinous offenses against numerous child victims.
- Authorities uncovered an immense collection of child exploitation material and child-sized sex dolls, some secured with chains, at Le Scouarnec's residence, while lawyers representing the victims called for changes to the legal system.
- Chief prosecutor Frederic Teillet said the lawyer's death points to suicide, urging an investigation, while victim representatives described Le Scouarnec as 'the worst mass paedophile who ever lived.
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The criminalist died on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. He had put his whole soul in defence of the ex-pedocriminal surgeon, sentenced in May to twenty years' imprisonment. "Everything suggests a suicide," said the prosecutor of Rennes.
Lawyer who defended 'worst paedophile in history' found dead weeks after trial
THE lawyer for a French surgeon dubbed one of country’s worst sex offenders in history has died in an apparent suicide, a prosecutor has said. Maxime Tessier, 34, had defended Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, who admitted at his trial to sexually assaulting or raping hundreds of patients between 1989 and 2014. AFPLawyer of retired surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec, Maxime Tessier waits in the Criminal Court[/caption] France 3 BretagneLe Scouarnec, who is consider…
He was one of two lawyers for Le Squarnec, the former surgeon who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for rape and sexual abuse of people, most of whom were minors.
The criminalist lawyer Maxime Tessier, known for defending Joël Le Scouarnec, died, an investigation is under way to determine the circumstances The criminalist lawyer Maxime Tessier, who had
French lawyer who defended child abuser surgeon Le Scouarnec dies in apparent suicide
Maxime Tessier, one of two lawyers who defended convicted child abuser Joel Le Scouarnec, has died in an apparent suicide, prosecutors said on Wednesday, July 9. In May, Le Scouarnec was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing and raping hundreds of patients over decades.
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