L’accusé de 53 ans, jugé pendant trois mois et demi par la cour d’assises du Doubs pour 30 empoisonnements de patients, dont 12 mortels, s’est brièvement exprimé lundi après la lecture des faits qui lui sont reprochés.
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Frédéric Péchier s’est présenté devant la cour vêtu d’un jean et d’une chemise bleue froissée, affirmant son innocence face aux accusations qui pèsent sur lui. Le médecin de 1,92 mètre, au physique imposant, est jugé pour 30 empoisonnements aggravés, dont 12 mortels, survenus entre 2008 et 2017 dans des cliniques privées de Besançon.
Lors de la première journée de son procès, la présidente et les assesseurs ont exposé les charges qui lui sont reprochées après huit ans d’instruction. Les jurés, dont la vie sera suspendue pendant les trois mois et demi du procès, ont écouté attentivement les détails médicaux complexes du dossier.
Derrière les termes médicaux techniques se cachent des vies brisées, avec des patients ayant subi des arrêts cardiaques et des séquelles. Les proches des victimes ont également suivi avec attention les débats, marqués par la présence de plus de 150 parties civiles, dont le Conseil national de l’ordre des médecins.
Le procès se déroule dans un cadre solennel, mettant en lumière les enjeux de cette affaire exceptionnelle. Les débats visent à déterminer si Frédéric Péchier est un «serial killer» ou un médecin injustement accusé. Les témoignages et expertises qui seront présentés devraient éclaircir ces accusations d’empoisonnement et la personnalité de l’accusé.
Le maintien en liberté de Frédéric Péchier, malgré l’interdiction d’exercer la médecine, est un point de discorde entre la défense et l’accusation. Les débats se poursuivront dans les prochains mois pour établir la vérité judiciaire, alors que l’accusé doit être réinterrogé dans deux semaines.
L’état de santé de l’ancien anesthésiste, qui a tenté de mettre fin à ses jours en 2021, est également une préoccupation. Les experts ont décrit un homme dépressif, une image confirmée par son apparence lors du procès. Les parties civiles redoutent une nouvelle tentative de suicide alors que le procès se poursuit.
Il encourt la réclusion criminelle à perpétuité.
L’accusé de 53 ans, jugé pendant trois mois et demi par la cour d’assises du Doubs pour 30 empoisonnements de patients, dont 12 mortels, s’est brièvement exprimé lundi après la lecture des faits qui lui sont reprochés.
Sans souscription. Anesthetist-resuscitator Frédéric Péchier, 53, stood at the bar in jeans and a wrinkled blue shirt, placing his hands flat on the lectern. «I refute all the allegations made against me. I have never poisoned anyone, I have never poisoned a [IV] bag, I am innocent,» declared Frédéric Péchier in a determined but subdued voice on the first day of his trial before the Doubs Assize Court in Besançon on Monday, September 8th. The 6’3″ anesthetist-resuscitator, with a thick build, white beard, and flushed complexion, is facing trial for 30 aggravated poisonings, 12 of which were fatal, of patients aged 4 to 89 in two private clinics in Besançon between 2008 and 2017.
The doctor, who has consistently maintained his innocence, was asked to briefly speak after a lengthy presentation of the charges against him by the presiding judge, Delphine Thieberge, and two jurors. For nearly five hours, the magistrates took turns outlining the accusations against the doctor after eight years of investigation.
The twelve randomly selected jurors – nine women and three men whose lives will be put on hold for the three-and-a-half-month trial – listened attentively to the litany of medical terms recited in the grand chamber of the Parliament within the Besançon courthouse. The historic courtroom, designated as a national monument, underwent five months of renovations to accommodate nearly 200 people and broadcast the proceedings on three large screens.
» Lidocaine,» «mepivacaine,» «potassium» [substances found in IV bags], «hypokalemia,» «bradycardia,» «tako-tsubo syndrome» [symptoms exhibited by patients]… Behind these technical terms, symbolized by the anesthesia cart displayed on a platform among the evidence in the case file, are shattered lives. The patients who survived cardiac arrests, albeit with lasting consequences for most, and the relatives of those who did not wake up also listened to the rapid summary of this complex and unprecedented case in French legal history.
These dozens of figures, with red cords around their necks indicating their refusal to speak to journalists, took their seats in the morning under the Renaissance-style woodwork and paintings of the courtroom. Over 150 individuals – both physical and legal entities – have filed as civil parties, a staggering number for a criminal case with only one defendant. The National Council of the Order of Physicians joined the proceedings on Monday morning, stating that the reputation of the medical profession has been tarnished by this case.
The solemnity of the venue mirrors the significance of this extraordinary legal milestone. Is Frédéric Péchier a «serial killer» with an atypical profile, a «firefighter arsonist» whose victims were randomly chosen to showcase his resuscitation skills and target other victims, including his medical colleagues as the prosecution believes? Or is he a doctor victimized by the relentless judicial «harassment» of investigators and magistrates who are on the wrong track, as the defense asserts? The proceedings should shed light on the path to a judicial truth that will only be revealed in December.
Until then, in addition to the civil parties, over 150 witnesses and 15 experts, some of whom testified on Monday, will be called to clarify the alleged poisonings and the accused’s contrasting personality, banned from practicing medicine since 2017. Frédéric Péchier, whose continued freedom since the start of the case is touted by his lawyers as evidence of his innocence, will be re-examined in two weeks on September 22.
The former renowned anesthetist of Besançon, barred from the city since the case began, has returned to his hometown for the trial. Concerns about his health extend to the civil parties, who fear he may attempt self-harm, as he did in 2021 when he tried to jump from his parents’ home where he had returned to live after his divorce. Psychiatric and psychological experts have painted a picture of a depressed man. On Monday, his appearance did not contradict their assessments. He faces the possibility of life imprisonment.
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