A 70-year-old woman has been found guilty of manslaughter by the Nîmes Court of Appeal.
The facts date back to August 31, 2010, when she worked in an nursing home as a caregiver. That evening, when the service had been greatly disrupted by the discomfort of a patient, the nurse’s aide had swapped two pillboxes in the general confusion. The following day, one of the patients, aged 89, had died of pulmonary edema due to a drug overdose.
Dispensation
While the nurse’s aide was the only one prosecuted in this case, the working conditions were singled out by the defense during the trial. The public prosecutor had requested a five-month suspended prison sentence against the defendant. The court eventually found her guilty with a criminal record, but absolved her of the sentence.