A High Court Appeal to overturn the decision of the GMC not to strike off paediatrician David Southall who wrongly accused Stephen Clark, husband of Sally Clark, of killing his two sons has been rejected.
Sally Clark was convicted of killing their two children in 2000 but had her case overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2004.
The High Court ruling has prevented Southall from being struck off. Instead, he will have to report to the GMC every six months; and will not have any involvement in child protection cases for three years.
Mr Justice Collins defended the GMC's decision to impose conditions on Southall instead of striking him off, saying the conditions were not unduly lenient. "Erasure [being struck off the medical register] was not required" he said.
The GMC found him guilty of serious professional misconduct last year. The Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) had taken their challenge to the Court of Appeal in a bid to overturn the GMC's decision not to strike Southall off the medical register.
The QC acting for the CHRE lambasted the decision by the Court of Appeal, saying: "Professor Southall has entirely failed to recognise in any way that what he did was wrong. He has not offered any apology, or shown any insight, remorse, or contrition."
A spokesperson for Alexander Harris, said today:
"The role of the GMC is to protect patients. Public confidence in the monitoring of doctors continues to diminish. We need to see much tighter regulation put in place."
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Related news stories
- 15/07/2005: Doctor struck off after giving 'misleading' evidence
- 14/07/2005: GMC rules paediatrician Roy Meadows gave misleading evidence
- 06/04/2005: Doctors call for abolition of GMC
- 04/03/2005: Health watchdog to challenge no strike decision by GMC in Sally Clark case
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