LilMtnCbn
02-06-2005, 09:19 AM
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1406993,00.html
GMC knew of fears over baby expert
Email reveals complaints before Meadow had women wrongly jailed
Jamie Dowards, social affairs editor
Sunday February 6, 2005
The Observer
Senior General Medical Council officials knew of serious concerns about the
paediatrician, Professor Sir Roy Meadow, before he gave evidence which led to
at least two mothers being wrongfully jailed for murder.
In a development that will raise fresh concerns about the GMC's ability to
regulate the medical profession in the interests of patients, emails obtained
by The Observer show that the organisation had discussed a series of complaints
against Meadow in February 2000.
Three years later, in 2003, Trupti Patel and Angela Cannings were freed by the
Court of Appeal after judges ruled that their convictions - secured largely on
the strength of Meadow's prosecution evidence and professional expertise - were
unsafe. Cannings was sentenced in 2002 and Patel the year after. Meadow, now
discredited, faces being struck off if he is found guilty of gross professional
misconduct at a GMC inquiry later this year.
An email sent by the then head of the GMC's Fitness to Practise department,
which investigates complaints made against doctors, reveals the watchdog
delayed discussing the concerns with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child
Health (RCPCH).
The internal memo, sent by Isabel Nisbet on 28 February to a colleague within
the department, states: 'I realise that the RCPCH have been trying to contact
me for some weeks ... I fear that I shall need to be brought up to speed on the
issues regarding Prof Meadow. Could you please add it to the list for the next
"high profile cases" meeting?'
The 'issues' referred to were a series of complaints made by parents and the
Labour MP for Putney, Tony Colman, that Meadow was providing evidence in court
cases that was outside his field of expertise.
Last night campaigners on behalf of the three women expressed shock that the
GMC was aware of concerns about Meadow as early as 2000.
'I find it deeply worrying that the GMC were aware in 2000 of at least one
complaint about Professor Meadow's alleged lack of expertise when giving
evidence in court,' said Penny Mellor, of the campaign group Dare to Care. 'One
has to wonder whether or not the cases of Cannings and Patel, and possibly a
number of others, would have been prosecuted had they taken decisive action at
that time.'
The revelation is likely to raise further questions about the GMC's ability to
investigate allegations against doctors. Last year the Shipman inquiry, which
investigated how the GP Harold Shipman was able to murder hundreds of his
patients, accused the GMC of favouring the interests of its members.
Dame Janet Smith, who headed the inquiry, said the GMC had 'to a very
significant degree acted in the interests of doctors'.
Last week Donna Anthony, who was jailed for life in 1998 for murdering two of
her children, partly on the strength of Meadow's expert testimony, was given
leave to appeal.
Meadow's evidence was also crucial in securing the conviction of Sally Clark in
1999 for murdering her two children. Clark's conviction was quashed in 2003.
Meadow's 'law' - that one child death is a tragedy, two suspicious and three
murder - was shown to be fundamentally flawed in the Court of Appeal.
Experts on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome have subsequently pointed out that
multiple deaths of siblings are far more common than Meadow maintained.
After Cannings was released, the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, announced a
review of almost 300 criminal cases where mothers had been jailed on the
strength of evidence presented by a single scientific expert.
In addition, local authorities were ordered to examine thousands of civil cases
where parents had been forced to give up their children for adoption after
being accused of abuse by paediatricians.
Hopes that some parents may now be reunited with their children look set to
take a dramatic turn. The Observer understands that the Legal Services
Commission is prepared to fund legal action by parents seeking to have the
adoption rulings overturned.
A spokeswoman for the GMC said it had a policy of not commenting on specific or
ongoing cases. Professor Meadow, who is now retired, was unavailable for
comment.
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
GMC knew of fears over baby expert
Email reveals complaints before Meadow had women wrongly jailed
Jamie Dowards, social affairs editor
Sunday February 6, 2005
The Observer
Senior General Medical Council officials knew of serious concerns about the
paediatrician, Professor Sir Roy Meadow, before he gave evidence which led to
at least two mothers being wrongfully jailed for murder.
In a development that will raise fresh concerns about the GMC's ability to
regulate the medical profession in the interests of patients, emails obtained
by The Observer show that the organisation had discussed a series of complaints
against Meadow in February 2000.
Three years later, in 2003, Trupti Patel and Angela Cannings were freed by the
Court of Appeal after judges ruled that their convictions - secured largely on
the strength of Meadow's prosecution evidence and professional expertise - were
unsafe. Cannings was sentenced in 2002 and Patel the year after. Meadow, now
discredited, faces being struck off if he is found guilty of gross professional
misconduct at a GMC inquiry later this year.
An email sent by the then head of the GMC's Fitness to Practise department,
which investigates complaints made against doctors, reveals the watchdog
delayed discussing the concerns with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child
Health (RCPCH).
The internal memo, sent by Isabel Nisbet on 28 February to a colleague within
the department, states: 'I realise that the RCPCH have been trying to contact
me for some weeks ... I fear that I shall need to be brought up to speed on the
issues regarding Prof Meadow. Could you please add it to the list for the next
"high profile cases" meeting?'
The 'issues' referred to were a series of complaints made by parents and the
Labour MP for Putney, Tony Colman, that Meadow was providing evidence in court
cases that was outside his field of expertise.
Last night campaigners on behalf of the three women expressed shock that the
GMC was aware of concerns about Meadow as early as 2000.
'I find it deeply worrying that the GMC were aware in 2000 of at least one
complaint about Professor Meadow's alleged lack of expertise when giving
evidence in court,' said Penny Mellor, of the campaign group Dare to Care. 'One
has to wonder whether or not the cases of Cannings and Patel, and possibly a
number of others, would have been prosecuted had they taken decisive action at
that time.'
The revelation is likely to raise further questions about the GMC's ability to
investigate allegations against doctors. Last year the Shipman inquiry, which
investigated how the GP Harold Shipman was able to murder hundreds of his
patients, accused the GMC of favouring the interests of its members.
Dame Janet Smith, who headed the inquiry, said the GMC had 'to a very
significant degree acted in the interests of doctors'.
Last week Donna Anthony, who was jailed for life in 1998 for murdering two of
her children, partly on the strength of Meadow's expert testimony, was given
leave to appeal.
Meadow's evidence was also crucial in securing the conviction of Sally Clark in
1999 for murdering her two children. Clark's conviction was quashed in 2003.
Meadow's 'law' - that one child death is a tragedy, two suspicious and three
murder - was shown to be fundamentally flawed in the Court of Appeal.
Experts on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome have subsequently pointed out that
multiple deaths of siblings are far more common than Meadow maintained.
After Cannings was released, the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, announced a
review of almost 300 criminal cases where mothers had been jailed on the
strength of evidence presented by a single scientific expert.
In addition, local authorities were ordered to examine thousands of civil cases
where parents had been forced to give up their children for adoption after
being accused of abuse by paediatricians.
Hopes that some parents may now be reunited with their children look set to
take a dramatic turn. The Observer understands that the Legal Services
Commission is prepared to fund legal action by parents seeking to have the
adoption rulings overturned.
A spokeswoman for the GMC said it had a policy of not commenting on specific or
ongoing cases. Professor Meadow, who is now retired, was unavailable for
comment.
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
