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'Kleptomaniac' French doc stole from the dead

Ben McPartland
Ben McPartland - [email protected]
'Kleptomaniac' French doc stole from the dead
File photo: US Army Africa

Doctors are occasionally accused of abusing their position of trust, but surely the actions of one kleptomaniac doctor in the French city of Lyon will be hard to beat.

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If you carried out a public survey to find out the most trustworthy professionals, you would think that doctors would be somewhere near the top.

But police in Lyon have revealed details of a shocking incident that might change many people’s minds.

According to French news site Le Point, a rogue doctor, who has not been named, was arrested last week on suspicion of stealing from a dead man.

On Thursday August 8th, police were called by firefighters to a house in the 7th arrondissement of Lyon where a 65-year-old man had been found dead.

The man, who had died a few days previously, was found with his wallet and identity card in his pocket. Police then called a doctor to the apartment to certify the death.

But after the doctor had left the police noticed some of the the dead man’s personal belongings, including some money were missing.

The police officers present were searched at the scene, but they were quickly ruled out of the probe.

Suspicion then immediately fell on the doctor, and he was arrested by police the following morning.

According to Le Point, the doctor owned up to the theft immediately. He said he had stolen the man’s identity card when he took it to write out the man’s death certificate. He also reportedly admitted pilfering €100 when he was left alone in the man’s kitchen.

Police however, fear the theft was simply the tip of the iceberg, after the dodgy doc reportedly told officers he has been a kleptomaniac since childhood.

Officers have now launched a full probe into the doctor to determine if he has stolen items belonging to other deceased members of the public.

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