A ‘nurse’ has confessed to the killing two elderly patients to keep shut them up while he slept off hangover, a German court has been told.
The Sunday Times reported that a healthcare worker posed as a nurse and enjoyed medicating patients despite not being qualified.
Prosecutors told the court he enjoyed playing 'doctor' but aimed to do as little as possible during his shifts at one of Munich’s top hospitals.
They also claimed the care worker, identified as Mario G, secretly injected deadly cocktails of drugs into his patients and enjoyed being in a 'position of power'.
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One of the survivors is renowned German poet Hans Magnus Enzensberger, who was resuscitated after he was injected with the sedatives diazepam and lorazepam.
The two patients who died were aged 80 and 89.
If Mario G is found guilty, he faces a life sentence.
“I made a big mistake,” he told the court, as per the outlet.
He added he usually drinks before his shifts at Rechts der Isar hospital.
“As I was inebriated, there was only one option for me: to sedate them. I am deeply sorry,” he continued.
The prosecution had said that the healthcare worker had been extremely ‘selfish’, opting to endanger his patients so he could look at his phone while hungover.
The man said he did not mean to kill anyone; he just wanted to have his patients in peace.
He added that he noticed patients usually had urinary catheters and were fast asleep, which made his shifts easier.
He revealed that he usually spent €150 (AUD $231) a day on alcohol and could drink 30 shots of Jägermeister plus beers when out.
“When I had to go to work, I put half a bottle of perfume on myself so that you wouldn’t smell the flag,” the healthcare worker said, as per The Switzerland Times.
But the judge expressed doubt that the consumption of alcohol significantly impacted his behaviour, citing that he is six foot five and is of average weight.
The prosecution added that the man’s motivation may have been getting a kick out of seeing patients be resuscitated.
“I could then tell friends and family again that I had a resuscitation at work,” he said before the judge.
The man has been in custody since 2020; however, the investigation took a long time as it was challenging for officials to make a connection to the man.
However, suspicion was raised after a doctor noticed that patients would deteriorate on his watch.
Topics: News, World News, Crime
Charisa Bossinakis