Starting Monday, a French doctor stands trial for allegedly poisoning 30 patients, resulting in 12 deaths. In a radio interview before the trial, he denied responsibility for the victims’ and families’ distress.
Frederic Pechier, 53, was an anaesthetist in Besancon when patients experienced suspicious cardiac arrests between 2008 and 2017. Twelve died despite resuscitation efforts.
Pechier allegedly induced heart attacks to display his resuscitation skills and undermine colleagues.
The youngest alleged victim, four-year-old Teddy, survived two cardiac arrests during a 2016 tonsil surgery. The oldest alleged victim was 89.
The trial follows a seven-year investigation that shocked the medical field. Pechier denies all charges.
Speaking to RTL, Pechier emphasized the need to “lay all the cards on the table,” citing “strong arguments” for his defense.
Regarding the families’ suffering, Pechier expressed understanding but claimed he wasn’t responsible for their distress.
Pechier, a father of three, faces life imprisonment if convicted. He is currently under judicial supervision, not in custody.
“I’ve waited 17 years for this,” said Amandine Iehlen, whose father died of cardiac arrest during surgery in 2008. An autopsy found a lidocaine overdose.
Prosecutor Etienne Manteaux called the case “unprecedented in French legal history.”
‘Certain he was best’
Pechier’s lawyer, Randall Schwerdorffer, stated this trial is his client’s first chance to explain and debate the charges.
The investigation began in 2017 after unexplained cardiac arrests during low-risk surgeries.
Pechier allegedly tampered with colleagues’ medical supplies to create emergencies, showcasing his resuscitation skills.
“He is accused of poisoning healthy patients to harm colleagues,” Manteaux stated. “Pechier always had a solution during cardiac arrests.”
Pechier attributes most poisonings to colleagues’ errors, claiming innocence in 2017.
Some colleagues called him a “star anaesthetist” while others found him arrogant and manipulative. One described him as “certain he was the best,” likening him to Zorro.
Investigators reviewed over 70 “serious adverse events,” leading to 30 cases going to trial.
Suspicion quickly centered on Pechier, detained and charged within two months.
A 2019 psychological evaluation highlighted a “controlling personality” and “perverse traits.”
Over 150 civil parties, including an anaesthetist union, are part of the trial.
Lawyer Frederic Berna described it as a “dizzying case” due to its “scale, duration, and complexity,” doubting Pechier would provide “sincere explanations.”
