BMJ  2007;335:466 (8 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.39328.472627.4E

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Pathologist in Sally Clark case wins appeal against removal from government register

BMJ

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The pathologist for the prosecution in the Sally Clark murder case, who failed to disclose results of microbiological tests on her second baby, has won an appeal against his removal from the UK Home Office register of forensic pathologists.

An appeal panel of three people, headed by a retired appeal court judge, Sir Paul Kennedy, held that the ruling by a home office disciplinary tribunal in 2005 removing Alan Williams from the register was "unreasonable" (BMJ 2005;331:1355 doi: 10.1136/bmj.331.7529.1355-a).

He was "a competent pathologist who made one serious error which he is unlikely to repeat," said the panel, which substituted an 18 month suspension.

Because the suspension period has now expired, Dr Williams's accreditation is now restored. But he is unlikely to be offered prosecution work because he will always be vulnerable to cross examination by the defence, said the panel.

In June 2005 the General Medical Council . . . [Full text of this article]

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Sally Clark pathologist removed from Home Office list

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