French 'Doctor Death' who poisoned patients jailed for life

A former anaesthetist has been jailed for life for intentionally poisoning 30 patients, including 12 who died.

A court in the city of Besançon in eastern France found Frédéric Péchier guilty of contaminating infusion bags with substances that caused cardiac arrest or hemorrhaging.

His youngest victim, a four-year-old child, survived two cardiac arrests during a routine tonsil surgery in 2016. The oldest victim was 89.

"You are Doctor Death, a poisoner, a murderer. You bring shame on all doctors," said prosecutors last week. "You have turned this clinic into a graveyard."

Péchier was first placed under investigation eight years ago, when he was suspected of poisoning patients at two clinics in Besançon between 2008 and 2017.

Péchier, who spent the 15 weeks of the trial at liberty under judicial supervision, will spend a minimum of 22 years behind bars.

He has always denied any wrongdoing. "I have said it before and I'll say it again: I am not a poisoner... I have always upheld the Hippocratic oath," he stated.

Péchier now has 10 days to lodge an appeal, which would entail a second trial within a year.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.