Benjamin Geen, a 25-year-old trainee nurse, was so hell bent on the thrill of hospital emergency situations that he deliberately made patients sick to the point of death to satisfy his craving. Geen worked at Horton General Hospital, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK.

Been would poison patients so they would stop breathing, and then enjoy the excitement of trying to revive them. The jury found him guilty of killing two patients and taking another 15 to the brink of death. He is facing life in prison.

The jury heard how Geen would inject his patients with sedatives or muscle relaxants (very large doses). He would also poison them with insulin and alter their oxygen supply. His moment of glory would arrive when they lost consciousness and he could raise the alarm and get involved in the resuscitation.

Doctors became puzzled at the number of respiratory arrests over a three month period – Dec 2003 to Feb 2004. During this period colleagues noticed he would talk enthusiastically about the number of ?resuscitation events’ during his shifts. His colleagues also noticed that patients coming in for fairly minor conditions would suddenly need resuscitation.

The finger began to point at Geen when it was found that nearly all these respiratory arrests took place during his shifts. He was arrested on February 9 – even then, he was found to have a syringe in his pocket loaded with vecuronium (a powerful relaxant). During initial questioning he suggested to the police that perhaps he was ?jinxed’.

(If a person is ?jinxed’ it means they always attract bad luck)

In court, Michael Austin-Smith, Prosecutor, said to Geen “They were just bits of flesh as far as you were concerned that gave you an opportunity to practise your skills and satisfy your lust for excitement.”

Michael Austin-Smith described Geen as a ?maniac on the loose’.

He was described by police as almost narcissistic in his desperate desire to be noticed.

The police said the hospital acted quickly as soon as they realised something was wrong. He would probably have continued poisoning patients had the hospital not alerted them.

Mr Justice Crane (the judge) said he wanted to see a psychological report on Green before deciding what sentence to give him.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today