The district court in Kassel sentenced Meike S., who posed as a doctor, to life imprisonment for three counts of murder. Now the hospital in Fritzlar is also commenting on the verdict.
+++ 3.41 p.m.: In a statement, the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Fritzlar commented on the verdict against Meike S., who worked there from 2015 to 2018. Spokesman Dirk Metz explains that the events surrounding the wrong doctor have caused great concern among management and employees. The management has already expressed deep regret several times and publicly expressed sympathy to those affected. One is glad that the procedure, which was burdensome for those affected, relatives and employees of the hospital, has now come to an end.
“We hope and wish, in particular, the relatives of the victims and those who have been harmed by the wrong doctor’s actions, that they can personally process the sad chapter better as a result of today’s harsh verdict,” Metz continued. The judgment punishes acts that can be attributed to a high level of criminal activity on the part of the accused. Meike S. not only deceived the clinic, her colleagues at the time and the state medical association, but above all put the patients in mortal danger and – according to the court – killed them. She did not admit her guilt, showed remorse or asked for forgiveness.
As a clinic, you support the demand of the German Foundation for Patient Protection for a central register for approvals at the German Medical Association. Equally important is the appeal by the State Medical Association of Hesse to create the conditions for documents to be forgery-proof.
Murder trial against false doctor Meike S. at the Kassel district court: the defense wants to appeal
+++ 2:01 p.m.: The defense intends to appeal the verdict and appeal. In particular, she emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit Hospital in Fritzlar. The chief physicians at the time had a monitoring obligation and had to ensure that the assistant doctor Meike S. did not administer the anesthetics unsupervised.
The presiding judge, Volker Mütze, repeatedly emphasized Meike S.’s narcissistic personality accentuation in the justification for the judgment at the Kassel Regional Court. In her actions, S. was only concerned with herself.
Update from Wednesday, May 25, 12:40 p.m.: The pronouncement of the verdict in the district court of Kassel is still ongoing. Meike S., who was convicted of three murders, among other things, is sobbing in the dock. In the past, Meike S. had during the process almost no emotions shown.
Kassel Regional Court imposed the maximum penalty for Meike S., who posed as a doctor in Fritzlar
First report from Wednesday, May 25th: Kassel/Fritzlar – After a murder trial of around one and a half years, the verdict in the case of the wrong doctor Meike S. fell on Wednesday (May 25) in Kassel. The 52-year-old, who worked as an anesthetist at Fritzlar Hospital between 2015 and 2018, was sentenced to life imprisonment for three counts of murder, among other things. In addition, the court determined the particular gravity of the guilt. This may make it difficult for Meike S. to be released after serving her sentence.
This decision was announced by the presiding judge of the 6th major criminal division of the regional court Kassel, Volker Mütze, around 10.30 a.m. In addition, Meike S. was found guilty of attempted murder in ten counts, three counts of dangerous bodily harm and misuse of titles in four counts and two counts of fraud.
Kassel/Fritzlar: maximum penalty in the murder trial against false doctor Meike S. demanded
The court is thus complying with the demands of the public prosecutor’s office in Kassel. She had before demanded the maximum penalty for the accused: life imprisonment and determination of the particular gravity of the guilt. The public prosecutor was convinced that Meike S. acted due to an excessive need for validity. The defense attorneys Dr. Sven Schoeller and Thomas Hammer, on the other hand, had a total prison sentence of eight years for dangerous bodily harm in 16 cases and further charges demanded.
Murder trial against false doctor: One of the largest trials in Kassel’s judicial history
The murder trial of the wrong doctor is one of the largest in Kassel judicial history. The first day of the hearing on January 27, 2021 was followed by around 50 more days of the trial. The original allegation at the time was: Meike S. is said to have killed five people at the Holy Spirit Hospital, in whose operations she was responsible for the anesthesia. According to the indictment, she never completed a medical degree and tricked herself into being hired as a doctor with false information.
Intentional question always played a role
In the case of the wrong doctor, the question of whether Meike S. was a murderer was discussed for months. The district court in Kassel spent hours on the days of the trial dealing with the question of intent, i.e. the question of whether the accused accepted the death of the patient in question with approval. Even then, Carsten Drastik, attorney for the co-plaintiff, explained that intent does not always have to contain an original bad intention. One speaks of a contingency.