an anesthetist sentenced to two years in prison for euthanizing an octogenarian patient

For the defense lawyer, “there is no criminal intent”, but a desire to avoid “therapeutic relentlessness”.

An anesthetist was sentenced on Friday December 22 in Albi to two years in prison for having euthanized an octogenarian patient in December 2018 at Lavaur hospital, in Tarn. The attorney general had requested a three-year suspended prison sentence for this 73-year-old woman, for having “voluntarily killed” to an 83-year-old patient, to whom she had administered a lethal dose of curare.

“The suspended sentence, which is a warning sentence – we say to the person: ‘Madam, once, not twice’ – is perfectly admissible, understandable, fair to us”declared the family’s lawyer, Nicolas Nassier, after the verdict was announced. “We have a family today, on the eve of the holidays, who, I think, are calm, relieved and can finally draw the curtain on this sad story”he continued.

On the other hand, the defense lawyer, Laurent Belou, regretted the court’s decision: “We pleaded for acquittal. Our speech, our explanations were not convincing”, he said. For him, “there is no criminal intent”but a desire to avoid “therapeutic relentlessness”. His client is “very surprised by the verdict since she does not consider herself a murderer”he added. “After 43 years of practicing medicine, ending up with an accusation, then a conviction today, of murder is extremely complicated and hard”declared Me Belou again.