On December 19, 2025, a court in Besançon handed life imprisonment to Frédéric Pechier, a 53-year-old anesthetist found guilty of poisoning 30 patients between 2008 and 2017. Twelve of these patients, ranging from a four-year-old child to an 89-year-old senior, died after suffering unexpected cardiac arrests.
Pechier, who denied any wrongdoing, allegedly contaminated IV bags with potassium, local anesthetics, adrenaline and anticoagulants to trigger cardiac arrest or hemorrhaging, prosecutors said. Their motive: to discredit coworkers and assert dominance in the operating room.
During the more than three-month trial, prosecutors argued Pechier used "medicine to kill". One colleague described him as a skilled physician with an "oversized ego". Despite emotional appealsincluding Pechiers own admission of a 2021 suicide attemptpresiding judge Delphine Thibierge declared, "You will be incarcerated immediately."
The investigation began in 2017 after a pattern of suspicious arrests in low-risk patients emerged. Pechiers youngest survivor, four-year-old Teddy, endured two cardiac arrests during routine tonsil surgery in 2016 and has since recovered.
This verdict follows another high-profile medical crime in France: retired doctor Joel Le Scouarnec received a 20-year sentence in May 2025 for abusing or raping 298 patients. Both cases have exposed gaps in oversight and raised questions about the safeguards designed to protect patients and empower healthcare teams to speak up.
As France and other G20 nations grapple with maintaining trust in healthcare, this case serves as a stark reminder of the critical need for vigilance, transparency and robust reporting mechanisms in medical settings worldwide.
Reference(s):
French doctor jailed for life for poisoning 30 patients, killing 12
cgtn.com
