A former anaesthetist has been jailed for life for intentionally poisoning 30 patients, 12 of them fatally.
Frédéric Péchier, 53, was convicted Friday at the end of a four-month trial in the eastern city of Besançon.
In one of France's biggest ever medical malpractice cases, Péchier was found to have introduced chemicals like potassium chloride or adrenaline into the infusion bags of patients.
His youngest victim, a four-year-old child, survived two cardiac arrests during a routine tonsil surgery in 2016. The oldest victim was 89.
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.
The chemicals Péchier added triggered cardiac arrest or haemorrhaging in patients, requiring emergency intervention in the operating theatre.
This was often provided by Péchier himself, who was then able to pose as the patient's saviour. However, in 12 cases, he was unable to intervene, or it was too late, and the patient died.
The prosecution argued that Péchier acted in order to discredit fellow anaesthetists against whom he bore a grudge. In most of the operations, he was not the primary anaesthetist. It was alleged he came in early to the clinic to tamper with the infusion bags.
When things went wrong, he was able to step in after diagnosing the problem and ordering an antidote.
Péchier was first placed under investigation eight years ago, suspected of poisoning patients at two clinics in Besançon between 2008 and 2017. The alert was raised in 2017 after excessive potassium chloride was found in the infusion bag of a woman who suffered a heart attack during surgery.
Investigators charted a pattern of serious adverse events at the Saint-Vincent private clinic, where the fatality rate drastically exceeded national averages.
The anomalies ceased during periods when Péchier worked elsewhere, only to resume upon his return.
Péchier's first known victim was Sandra Simard, who suffered a cardiac arrest during back surgery but survived thanks to Péchier's intervention, leading to a discovery of toxic levels of potassium.
Throughout the trial, Péchier sometimes acknowledged that some patients may have been poisoned but denied any malice, asserting his commitment to the Hippocratic Oath.
Péchier will serve a minimum of 22 years in prison, having been free during the trial. He has ten days to file an appeal, which could lead to a second trial.
The court psychologist characterized him as having a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality. This case has left survivors expressing relief and closure as they move forward.
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