Monday 24 December 2012

Vive La France! Again!

OK, yes, it was suspended. But as we are always told at this time of year, it's the thought that counts...
A French psychiatrist has been convicted of manslaughter six years after one of her patients hacked an elderly man to death. Danielle Canarelli, 58, was handed a one-year suspended prison sentence for her 'grave error' in failing to recognise that her paranoid schizophrenic patient Joël Gaillard posed a public risk.
Refreshing, eh?
The doctor, who has over 30 years of experience and currently works at Marseille's Edouard-Toulouse hospital, was also ordered to pay 8,500 euros to the victim's children, in the groundbreaking case that could affect the way patients are treated.
Better and better...
'If a psychiatrist lives in fear of being sentenced, it will have very real consequences and probably lead to harsher treatment of patients,' said Canarelli's lawyer, Sylvain Pontier.
Yes, but if it saves one life, Sylvain! Isn't that the pious retort of those who'd restrict essential liberties in other circumstances?

2 comments:

John Pickworth said...

Have mixed feelings about this.

Sounds like a good idea but of course we all know who these measures would be used against? Stapled form AT45/87 instead of using a paper clip and sometime later you're finding yourself culpable for something worse further down the line.

But what about Harold Shipman's boss? Can't see the Health Minister ending up in court. Nor Gordon Brown for the banking fiasco and certainly not Blair (the other one) for incidents concerning tube travelling Brazilians.

Still, look on the bright side, at least none of us are Italian seismologists

Merry Watsit and Happy New Year to all(subject to Mayan forecasting)

JuliaM said...

Heh! Hope you had a good one.