BESANCON: A prominent French anaesthetist stands trial accused of intentionally poisoning 30 patients, resulting in 12 fatalities, in what prosecutors describe as an attempt to demonstrate his resuscitation abilities and undermine colleagues.
Frederic Pechier, a 53-year-old father of three, worked at two clinics in Besancon where patients experienced unexpected cardiac arrests under suspicious circumstances between 2008 and 2017.
The youngest alleged victim was four years old during a routine tonsil surgery in 2016, surviving two cardiac arrests, while the oldest was 89 years old.
This landmark trial in Besancon, scheduled to continue until December, concludes a seven-year investigation that has shocked France’s medical community.
The case follows another recent high-profile medical scandal where retired doctor Joel Le Scouarnec received a 20-year prison sentence for sexually abusing 298 patients.
Pechier, currently banned from practising medicine but not detained pending trial, faces potential life imprisonment if convicted, though he maintains his innocence.
Amandine Iehlen, whose 53-year-old father died during kidney surgery in 2008, stated she has been waiting 17 years for this trial after an autopsy revealed a lidocaine overdose.
Prosecutor Etienne Manteaux emphasised the unprecedented nature of this case in French legal history.
Investigators launched their probe in 2017 after noticing suspicious cardiac arrests during low-risk operations.
Pechier allegedly tampered with colleagues’ paracetamol bags and anaesthesia pouches to create operating room emergencies where he could intervene as the hero.
Manteaux explained that Pechier is accused of poisoning healthy patients to harm colleagues with whom he had conflicts, always positioning himself as the first responder during crises.
The defendant claims the poisonings resulted from medical errors made by his colleagues, insisting he is innocent of these heinous crimes.
Colleagues provided conflicting descriptions of Pechier, with some calling him a star anaesthetist while others found him arrogant and manipulative.
One coworker compared him to Zorro, noting he was certain of his superiority and enjoyed playing the hero.
Investigators examined over 70 reports of serious adverse events before focusing on 30 cardiac arrest cases at Saint-Vincent Clinic and Franche-Comte Polyclinic.
Suspicion fell on Pechier in 2017 after a 36-year-old woman suffered cardiac arrest during surgery, leading to his detention and charging two months later.
His defence team maintains Pechier intends to prove his innocence throughout the trial proceedings.
A 2019 psychological evaluation described Pechier as having a controlling personality with perverse traits, though his lawyers strongly criticised these findings.
More than 150 civil parties, including an anaesthetists’ trade union, will participate in the complex trial.
Frederic Berna, one of 55 lawyers representing victims, called it a dizzying case due to its scale, duration, and technical complexity.
Berna expressed doubt that the court would hear sincere explanations from Pechier during the trial.
Ahead of the proceedings, Pechier told media he was not particularly anxious but ready to fight one last time to clear his name.
He stated he simply wants people to listen to his side of the story after years of allegations. – AFP
