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, aged 34, had provided defense for Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, who confessed during his trial to sexually assaulting or raping numerous patients from 1989 to 2014.

Many of Le Scouarnec’s 298 victims were children.

He was sentenced by a French court to to 20 years in prison back in May.

Frederic Teillet, chief prosecutor in the western French city of Rennes, said that an investigation had been started into the lawyer’s death.

“Everything points to suicide,” Teillet said.

Catherine Glon, his associate, said he “had a very high regard for justice and was therefore very demanding towards himself.”

Tessier had been one of two lawyers defending Le Scouarnec, who is considered one of the most egregious sex offenders in French criminal history.

Le Scouarnec admitted to hundreds of crimes against victims who were mostly under the age of 15, with the youngest just four.

Many of his victims were under the effects of anaesthesia or recovering from surgery, prosecutors said.

Thomas Delaby, serving as a barrister for one of the victims, described Le Scouarnec as “the worst mass paedophile who ever lived” and referred to him as “an atomic bomb of paedophilia.”

He added: “Your victims will never forgive you.”

Speaking ahead of the verdict, Le Scourarnec said: “I’m not asking the court for leniency.

“Simply grant me the right to become a better person.”

Le Scouarnec was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his horrific crimes.

But many of his victims were dismayed that he could not be imprisoned for longer.

Francesca Satta, an attorney representing the civil parties in the case, commented: “Twenty years is a short time considering the number of victims involved.”

“It’s time for the law to be changed so that more appropriate sentences can be handed down.”

A prosecutor describer the former doctor as “the devil… dressed in a white coat”.

After he was arrested in 2017, investigators made horrifying discoveries at his home.

His diaries reportedly described his apparent crimes in considerable detail.

Officers also found child-sized sex dolls, some of which were chained up.

More than 300,000 child abuse images were also discovered.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.