A locum GP who prescribed penicillin V (phenoxymethylpenicillin) to a 73 year old man who died after taking the drug has been cleared of manslaughter. The jury at Plymouth Crown Court unanimously found Mitra Nikkhah not guilty after two hours of deliberation.

Dr Nikkhah, 41, was accused of the manslaughter of David Townsend by gross negligence. The prosecution case was that she prescribed the drug despite a warning by Mr Townsend and his wife that he was allergic to it and that he had gone into anaphylactic shock and died as a result.

Mr Townsend died in May 2006 after …