French anaesthetist Frédéric Péchier went on trial in Besançon, accused of poisoning 30 patients between 2008 and 2017. Authorities linked 12 deaths to contaminated infusion pouches allegedly prepared by Péchier at two clinics.
Prosecutors Claim Deliberate Sabotage
Prosecutors allege Péchier poisoned medicine to damage colleagues’ reputations, then intervened during resuscitations. Victims, aged 4 to 89, suffered cardiac arrests. The case began in 2017 after Sandra Simard collapsed during routine surgery, when tests revealed a lethal potassium dose in her anaesthesia bag.
Péchier Denies All Charges
The 53-year-old father-of-three, banned from practising, continues to maintain innocence. His defence insists he will prove his case. Lawyers for victims call the trial “dizzying” due to its scale and complexity. Proceedings, expected to last until December, could result in life imprisonment.
