High Court upholds suspension of doctor whose failings as expert witness were “serious and dangerous”
BMJ 2012; 345 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e7298 (Published 29 October 2012) Cite this as: BMJ 2012;345:e7298- Clare Dyer
- 1BMJ
A consultant psychiatrist whose conduct as an expert witness in a murder trial was “outstandingly bad” has lost his High Court appeal against a decision by the General Medical Council to suspend him from practice for four months.
Mr Justice Ouseley said that Anantha Kumar’s failings as a witness for the defence in the case of Andrew Day, who stabbed his girlfriend to death, were “many, serious, and dangerous.”
Kumar, who had never given evidence at a homicide trial before, prepared a report after interviewing Day and reading his interview with police. He concluded that Day lacked the intent to commit murder and had a condition called intermittent explosive disorder.
The …
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