French anesthesiologist sentenced to life imprisonment over patient poisonings

ISTANBUL

A French court on Thursday sentenced former anesthesiologist Frederic Pechier to life imprisonment for poisoning dozens of patients, including cases that led to multiple deaths, French media reported.

Pechier, who had been on trial since Sept. 8 at the Doubs Assize Court in the eastern city of Besancon, was found guilty of 30 counts of poisoning, 12 of them fatal.

The court ruled that he must serve a minimum of 22 years in prison before being eligible for parole.

The former doctor, who worked at two clinics in the region, was accused of deliberately poisoning patients aged between 4 and 89, causing cardiac arrests.

Prosecutors argued that his actions had turned the medical facilities into what they described as a “graveyard.”

The court also permanently banned Pechier from practicing medicine.

According to French news broadcaster BFM TV, Pechier showed no visible reaction when the verdict was announced, while members of his family collapsed in the courtroom.

Throughout the trial, Pechier denied the charges, maintaining that he was not responsible for the poisonings.

“I will say it and always will say it: no, I am not a poisoner,” he told the court during his final statement before the jury deliberated.

The prosecution had requested a life sentence, a plea that was ultimately upheld by the court.