Experts have been appointed to examine around 40 suspected cases of poisoning in the operating room in Besançon.
In Besançon, the case of the “poisonous anesthesiologist” is heavier. According to Eastern Republican, the investigating judges will ask experts to examine, in addition to the seven facts of poisoning already identified, about forty other cases that have occurred in the operating theater. Half of these suspected cases were fatal, the daily said.
These legal experts, independent from the Regional Health Agency, will be called upon to understand the circumstances of these events, and whether they are the result of a medical error or a malicious act.
“Not an accident”
The 45-year-old doctor is suspected of having poisoned seven patients, two of whom died, between 2008 and 2017 in Besançon (Doubs). According to the prosecution, these cases are “not an accident”, but “voluntary acts likely to lead to death.” The man was placed under judicial supervision for “poisonings with premeditation”.
The latter, banned from exercising his profession and in the obligation to pay a deposit of 60,000 euros, categorically contests the facts with which he is accused. The crime of poisoning with premeditation is punishable by life imprisonment.
Although rare, this practitioner’s case is not unique. Recently in Japan, an investigation was opened into the deaths of 46 people from poisoning in the same hospital. In England, a nurse was convicted of murdering patients. Contacted by Why actor, Professor Michel Bénézech, psychiatrist and criminologist, believes that “these killers very often act out of compassion and are convinced that they have the right to life or death over their victims”.
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