French Anaesthetist Gets Life Jail For Poisoning 30 Patients

A French court has sentenced a former anaesthetist, Frédéric Péchier, to life imprisonment for deliberately poisoning 30 patients, including 12 who died.

The court in Besançon, eastern France, found Péchier guilty of contaminating infusion bags with toxic substances that led to cardiac arrest or severe haemorrhaging among patients.

Péchier was first placed under investigation eight years ago over a series of poisoning cases recorded at two medical clinics in Besançon between 2008 and 2017.

During the trial, prosecutors described him in scathing terms, saying, “You are Doctor Death, a poisoner, a murderer. You bring shame on all doctors. You have turned this clinic into a graveyard.”

The convicted anaesthetist, who has consistently denied the allegations, however, has 10 days to file an appeal against the judgment.