The French doctor is tried to poison 30 patients, 12 deadly

A former anesthesiologist was tried in the city of Besançon, in eastern France, accused of having intentionally poisoned 30 people, including 12 deceased patients.

Frédéric Péchier, 53, considered by colleagues as a highly talented practitioner, was investigated for the first time eight years ago, when he was suspected of poisoning patients in two city clinics between 2008 and 2017.

Despite the serious accusations against him, Mr. Péchier remained freedom under judicial surveillance and declared on Monday on French radio that there was “no proof of poisoning”.

The trial is expected to last more than three months and involves more than 150 civilian parties representing the 30 alleged victims.

The allegations of poisoning emerged in January 2017, when a 36 -year -old patient called Sandra Simard, who was otherwise in good health, underwent surgery on her spine and her heart ceased to beat.

After an intensive care doctor did not revive it, Frédéric Péchier gave him an injection and the patient entered the coma and survived. The intravenous drugs used to treat it then showed potassium concentrations 100 times the expected dose and the alarm was sounded with local prosecutors.

Another “serious undesirable event”, involving a 70 -year -old man, occurred in a few days, when Mr. Péchier said he found three bags of paracetamol that had been falsified after giving general anesthesia.

Mr. Péchier said at the time that he was supervised, but a few weeks later, he had been placed under an official investigation.

One of Mr. Péchier’s lawyers said he was waiting for eight years to finally prove his innocence, and the former anesthesiologist told RTL Radio on Monday that it was a chance to have “all the cards on the table”.

“After my departure, they have always had (serious undesirable events) and cardiac arrests. When I left in March 2017, they had nine others declared,” he told RTL Radio.

Investigators then examined other serious undesirable events dating from 2008, involving patients aged four to 89, in the two major health care centers in which he had worked in Besançon-Franche-Comté Polyclinic and Saint Vincent Clinic.

In 2009, three patients with no history of heart disease had to be resurrected to the polyclinic of Franche-Comté during minor operations.

Twelve suspicious cases were found involving patients who could not be resurrected, many of whom could not be explained.

Damien Iehlen was the first death in October 2008. At the age of 53, he went to the Saint-Vincent clinic for a routine renal operation and died after a cardiac arrest. The tests later revealed that he had received a potentially lethal dose of the drug lidocaine.

“It’s appalling. You cannot imagine the effect he had on my family,” said his daughter Amandine to the French media. “It is unthinkable that it could happen and that so many people were affected for so many years, from 2008 to 2017.”

Frédéric Péchier comes from a family of health professionals; His father was also anesthesiologist.

Prosecutors argue that intravenous drugs have falsified to induce cardiac arrests, such as a way to take revenge on colleagues. They say he was the “common denominator” in all cases of poisoning.

The trial should continue until December and the defendant will remain in Liberty, under judicial surveillance. If he is found guilty, he would face an imprisonment for life.