‘You are Doctor Death’: French anaesthetist who poisoned 12 patients to death jailed for life
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘You are Doctor Death’: French anaesthetist who poisoned 12 patients to death jailed for life")
Frédéric Péchier guilty of contaminating infusion bags with substances that caused cardiac arrest or hemorrhaging Photograph: (AFP)
Frédéric Péchier, 53, worked at two clinics in the eastern city of Besançon, and was previously considered a “star anaesthetist” by some colleagues till he was accused of triggering heart attacks in patients so he could show off his resuscitation skills and discredit co-workers.
A French anaesthetist has been jailed for life for intentionally poisoning 30 patients between the ages of four and 89, 12 of whom died after a court in the city of Besançon in eastern France found Frédéric Péchier guilty of contaminating infusion bags with substances that caused cardiac arrest or hemorrhaging. His youngest victim, a four-year-old child, survived two cardiac arrests during a routine tonsil surgery in 2016. The oldest victim was 89.
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Frédéric Péchier, 53, worked at two clinics in the eastern city of Besançon, and was previously considered a “star anaesthetist” by some colleagues till he was accused of triggering heart attacks in patients so he could show off his resuscitation skills and discredit co-workers.
“You are Doctor Death, a poisoner, a murderer. You bring shame on all doctors,” said prosecutors last week. “You have turned this clinic into a graveyard.”
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Péchier was placed under investigation eight years ago, when he was suspected of poisoning patients at two clinics in Besançon between 2008 and 2017.
Péchier, who spent the 15 weeks of the trial at liberty under judicial supervision, will spend a minimum of 22 years behind bars.
He has always denied any wrongdoing. “I have said it before and I’ll say it again: I am not a poisoner... I have always upheld the Hippocratic oath,” he stated.
Péchier now has 10 days to lodge an appeal, which would entail a second trial within a year.
