Anaesthetist jailed for causing Brit’s death while drunk

A BELGIAN anaesthetist has been jailed for causing a Brit’s death while drunk following a botched emergency Caesarean.

51-year-old Helga Wauters has been jailed for three years and banned from practising following a court hearing into the death of 28-year-old Xynthia Hawke in 2014.

She was also ordered by the court to pay almost €1.4 million (£1.25m) in damages to the Brit’s family.

In a court hearing in France on Thursday, November 12, Waulters was found guilty of manslaughter after she pushed a breathing tube into Ms Hawke’s oesophagus instead of her windpipe, whilst under the influence of alcohol during the procedure.

Ms Hawke’s suffered a cardiac arrest and died four days after the procedure, but her baby boy survived.

“Justice has set an example for this type of doctor who, in my eyes, is not a doctor,” her partner Yannick Balthazar said.

According to the AFP news agency, Ms Wauters said during an earlier hearing: “I recognise now that my addiction was incompatible with my job.

“I will regret this death my entire life.”


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Written by

Matthew Roscoe

Originally from the UK, Matthew is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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