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French Anaesthetist Frédéric Péchier Gets Life for 30 Patient Poisonings

The defense immediately appealed, triggering a new trial.

Overview

  • The cour d’assises du Doubs found Péchier guilty on all 30 counts, including 12 deaths, after a 15‑week trial.
  • His sentence carries a 22‑year non‑parole period and a lifetime ban from practising medicine, and he was jailed immediately.
  • Prosecutors said infusion or anaesthesia bags were tainted with potassium, local anaesthetics, adrenaline or heparin to induce cardiac arrests or hemorrhages.
  • The cases occurred from 2008 to 2017 in two private clinics in Besançon and involved patients aged 4 to 89, with at least 7 of 9 votes required for each conviction.
  • Péchier maintained his innocence, saying “I am not a poisoner,” while victims and families voiced relief at the verdict.