“Given the nature of the facts for which this student was convicted, ARS Occitanie has decided to postpone this semester assignment. » The ax fell at the end of October. While Nicolas W., a 6th year medical student convicted of sexual assault, was to be assigned as an intern in the radiology department of the Purpan University Hospital (Toulouse), the Regional Health Agency put a stop to this assignment. Since then, there has been relief in the corridors of the CHU and in the lecture halls of the universities through which Nicolas W. passed. 20 Minutes takes stock of this affair which has shaken the hospital environment since April.
Why didn’t Nicolas W. return to Toulouse University Hospital?
Nicolas W. did not return to the radiology department at Toulouse University Hospital on November 4. ARS Occitanie has decided otherwise. This October 24, in a press release, the Regional Health Agency announced that its director, Didier Jaffre, had decided to suspend the assignment of the medical intern, convicted of “sexual assault”. “This suspension of assignment will be effective until the end of the criminal and disciplinary proceedings in progress against him,” details the press release, in which we also learn that, “taking into account the nature of the facts for which this student was condemned”, the ARS Occitanie has decided to “guarantee the proper functioning of health establishments in which he could be required to carry out internships”.
What exactly is Nicolas W. accused of?
Nicolas W., a 26-year-old medical student, was sentenced last March by the Tours court to five years in prison for sexual assaults committed between 2017 and 2020 during student parties. Among the complainants, three are medical students in Tours and classmates of Nicolas W. While the prosecution, which hoped for a more severe sentence, appealed, Nicolas W. was left free and still presumed innocent. Reason why the young man, on an internship at the Limoges University Hospital, resumed his studies straight away, in April.
Before his judgment, the intern had completed internships in various hospital departments, including one in gynecology at Limoges University Hospital. Nicolas W., who is now registered in the Automated Judicial File of perpetrators of sexual or violent offenses (Fijais), had assumed the alleged acts during his trial, affirms to 20 Minutes the lawyer for the civil parties, Me Marc Morin. For his part, Nicolas W.’s lawyer, Me Alain Jakubowski, did not wish to comment on the case this Monday with 20 Minutes.
What is the position of universities?
“My clients’ objective was that, thanks to this trial and this conviction, Nicolas W. would stop practicing medicine. But there are two dysfunctions in this case: first of all its inadequate judicial control and then the faculty of Tours which did not initiate disciplinary measures. The university had the possibility of conducting an investigation but did not do so and that raises questions,” laments Mr. Marc Morin.
The University of Tours reiterated, in a press release dated October 10, “its support for the victims of this violence who unfortunately continue to experience its effects”. The establishment also ensures that actions have been launched “to improve support for victims and prevent this type of violence within the university community”. For their part, the hospital and the University of Toulouse made it known, by way of a press release, that it was not legally possible” to prevent the arrival of Nicolas W., the young man “having not done so subject to no disciplinary sanction to date by the University of Tours.
What is the position of the unions?
When Nicolas W.’s arrival at the Toulouse University Hospital was announced, the unions filed a strike notice at the beginning of October and a right to withdraw due to “serious and imminent” danger. “We refuse to allow such an individual to be in contact with patients and colleagues,” explained to 20 Minutes Pauline Salingue, CGT delegate from Toulouse University Hospital. And if Nicolas W. still arrives to do his internship in radiology, the unions hammer him: “there will be human chains to prevent him from coming to the hospital, strikes and staff withdrawals. »
What role does the Emma-Auclert collective play?
It is the collective, created in response to the affair and in homage to Hubertine Auclert, a 20th century feminist activist, who once again sounded the alarm a few months ago. In addition to organizing demonstrations in Limoges or Toulouse but also in front of the Ministry of Health, he published an open letter on April 24 to warn about “the Nicolas W. case” signed by around ten associations. “The universities have screwed up,” said one of its members last week to 20 Minuteswho also welcomed the decision of ARS Occitanie.
What are the current procedures?
Following the demonstrations and press releases from the unions, the Ministry of Higher Education requested, in June 2024, the University of Tours to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Nicolas W. The Touraine establishment indicated that it had granted this request on October 10.
Our file on sexual violence
Then, as reported above, the Tours public prosecutor’s office appealed the first conviction of Nicolas W. The 26-year-old young man will, according to information from 20 Minutesjudged on appeal on December 3 in Orléans. Finally, according to the Toulouse University Hospital unions, the intern has filed an appeal against the ARS decision and the hearing is announced for November 21 in Toulouse.
