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French Anesthetist Gets Life for Poisoning 30 Patients, Killing 12

His lawyers say they will appeal within the 10-day window.

Overview

  • The Doubs Assize Court in Besançon ordered life imprisonment with immediate custody after a three‑month trial, with a minimum term reported at about 22 years.
  • Jurors found him responsible for poisoning 30 patients between 2008 and 2017 at two private clinics, leading to 12 deaths among victims aged 4 to 89.
  • Prosecutors said he contaminated infusion bags with potassium, local anesthetics, adrenaline and heparin to trigger cardiac arrest or hemorrhage during colleagues’ cases.
  • The investigation began in 2017 after tests on patient Sandra Simard’s infusion bag showed potassium about 100 times the expected level.
  • Péchier denied wrongdoing, telling the court “I am not a poisoner,” as prosecutors argued he sought to discredit rivals and “used medicine to kill.”