A former anaesthetist has been jailed for life for intentionally poisoning 30 patients, including 12 who died.
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.
Prosecutors condemned his actions, declaring, You are Doctor Death, a poisoner, a murderer. You bring shame on all doctors. You have turned this clinic into a graveyard.
Péchier was first placed under investigation eight years ago, suspected of poisoning patients at two clinics from 2008 to 2017. He spent the trial at liberty under judicial supervision and now faces a minimum of 22 years in prison.
Despite the conviction, Péchier has consistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting, I have said it before and I'll say it again: I am not a poisoner... I have always upheld the Hippocratic oath. He has 10 days to lodge an appeal, which would trigger a second trial within a year.
