Suddenly, the sentence is dropped. For several minutes already, the former dentist from the northern districts Lionel Guedj has been talking at odds with the general counsel of the court of appeal, from his box, in the Caserne du Muy in Marseille. The practitioner was sentenced at first instance to eight years in prison for having mutilated more than 300 of these former patients by unjustifiably devitalizing healthy teeth. And since the opening of the trial last May, the mea culpa has been difficult for him. Lionel Guedj is on the contrary aggressive, questioning the expertise, and accusing the victims of lies. Asked repeatedly in previous weeks about the cause of these root canals, the former dentist pleads oblivion, when he does not defend his choice, step by step.
And after days devoted to hearing numerous victims, the crucial time has come for the interrogation of Lionel Guedj. At the beginning of the hearing, his lawyer whispers in his ear what seems to be the speech to hold. Lionel Guedj listens attentively, nods his head, takes notes on this notebook which never leaves him. Then the long day passes slowly when, suddenly, the question is asked by the Advocate General. “Have you devitalized healthy teeth? asks Patrice Ollivier-Maurel. “By mistake, yes, maybe,” says Lionel Guedj. Victims exclaim in the face of what sounds like a first confession. “I was more direct in therapy,” continues Lionel Guedj. It is a therapeutic error. »
“I went way too fast”
The former dentist, who is trying to plead the unintentional injuries, continues in a quavering voice, staring at his lawyer. “The errors were aggravated by the speed that there was and the chain of patients. It’s my fault. I wanted to make an appointment in less than a week. I didn’t want the customer to wait. “The richest former dentist in France, who repeatedly confuses the terms “client” and “patient” in his statements, could receive up to 70 people a day in his office. He is accused of having systematically offered them the same treatment plan: the massive installation of prostheses, very profitable, at a frantic pace. A success that would have gone to his head, he tries to explain to the court.
“I think…I’m sure I went way too fast in considering each case. The clinical examination was botched. If I had taken the time to do things, we could have tried other treatments to try to heal. “And to insist a little later: “I recognize that it was nonsense. Caught up in this system, I totally screwed up. »
“It’s also misplaced pride”
“After that, if you like, it’s also pride, misplaced pride,” continues Lionel Guedj. I felt capable. At the time, I had a superhuman side. I tell myself that I will be able to manage everything, I will be able to control everything. “A feeling of omnipotence nourished according to him by his remission from Hodgkins lymphoma. When he opened his practice at the age of 25, Lionel Guedj was diagnosed with this form of cancer, at a very advanced stage. He then juggles for months between his office, which he does not stop, and chemotherapy, before getting out of it. And to listen to him, when his indictment intervenes, Lionel Guedj would then have sunk into a conspiracy theory, based on the jealousy of his entourage and cascading lies from his patients. “By saying that everyone was mad at me, it was a way of hiding the reality from myself,” he explains, in response to a question from his lawyer on this point.
“I have the impression that we have made a little progress, Mr Guedj, even if it is not a big step. welcomes the Advocate General. The next time I will speak, it will be for the requisitions. So if there’s no more conspiracy, radio hacking, it’s you? The investigators found in the dentist’s office grossly falsified x-rays of certain patients of Lionel Guedj who, at that time, was in the sights of Social Security for his practices. And since the start of the investigation, Lionel Guedj has denied having falsified radios, accusing his former partner or his secretaries instead. ” No ! The conspiracy, we can clearly see it in this file, where there are major anomalies! The face of Lionel Guedj’s lawyer, Me Julien Pinelli, tenses. The trial is due to last until June 30.