PARIS: A French court has sentenced Dr. Frédéric Péchier to life imprisonment for deliberately poisoning 30 patients, both children and adults, between 2008 and 2017.
The court found that Dr. Péchier, an anesthesiologist, intentionally administered dangerous doses of potassium to his patients, leading to several fatal heart attacks. The motive, according to the prosecution, was to cast suspicion on his colleagues and tarnish their reputations, rather than to help those under his care.
Dr. Péchier, who worked in two private clinics in the city of Besançon, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The court also ordered him to pay compensation to the families of the victims, acknowledging the immense emotional and physical toll his actions had on them.
The court’s ruling follows an investigation that revealed that the victims, including children who underwent routine operations, were poisoned with excessive amounts of potassium, often before or during surgery. Many of the affected patients suffered sudden heart attacks, which initially appeared to be unexplained medical anomalies. However, as the investigation progressed, it became clear that the deaths were no accidents but the result of deliberate acts of poisoning.
Out of the 30 victims, 12 tragically died as a result of the lethal doses. The case has been labeled one of the most egregious medical crimes in recent French history, with the court stating that Dr. Péchier had egregiously violated the trust placed in him as a medical professional. His actions, the court noted, represented the “worst form of exploitation” of his position, as he abused both his medical expertise and the trust of his patients for his own personal motives.
