Bassam El-Absi was found guilty and received a 17-year prison sentence by the Bordeaux court last February. The Gironde radiologist appealed his conviction.
A conspiracy, according to the radiologist
In Girondeeight women accused Bassam El-Absi of rapes andsexual assault within the framework of his duties.
As reported Le Figarothey have to face the radiologist again, as he appealed the court's decision after being sentenced to 17 years in prison in February. His second trial opens on Friday November 29 before the Charente Assizes in Angoulême and will last until December 6.
As a reminder, the alleged attacker denied all accusations during his first trial, claiming that he was the victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by former patients.
Unable to imagine his guilt
Maître Talbert-Camarero, the lawyer for one of the first plaintiffs, reacted to the newspaper's microphone. “We will have the same speech as at first instance. He appeals because he is unable to imagine his guilt. This is the procedure, but it was a shock for my client“, he indicated.
Note that the wife of Bassam El-Absi also defended the position of the accused, despite the 17 women heard during the judicial investigation. On the other hand, his daughter Célia El-Absi explained that she doubted her father's innocence.
A new test
Some women see this appeal trial like a new test to overcome. “My client is an emotionally strong woman, but this call turns her upside down“, underlined the lawyer. The latter indicated that it is very hard for the complainant to start testifying again, to hear El-Absi deny the acts and not to be recognized as a victim by the accused. “The victims still have a lot of hope that he will be able to recognize the facts, they need it for their reconstruction“, she added.
> Also read: A doctor sexually assaults a patient at Étang-Salé: “He stuck his tongue down my throat”
