Intended for healthcare professionals

News

Cardiologist wins right to exclude hearsay evidence against him

BMJ 2011; 342 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d3951 (Published 22 June 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011;342:d3951
  1. Clare Dyer
  1. 1BMJ

An internationally renowned paediatric cardiologist has won a High Court battle to stop the General Medical Council admitting hearsay evidence against him in a disciplinary case over the alleged sexual abuse of boys in Kenya.

Lord Justice Laws and Mr Justice Stadlen quashed the decision by a GMC fitness to practise panel to admit transcripts of police interviews and mobile phone messages and texts from a man in his late 20s, referred to as witness A, who accused Philipp Bonhoeffer of abusing him in his early teens. The judges ruled that the decision to admit hearsay evidence was “irrational” and a breach of Dr Bonhoeffer’s right to a fair trial under article 6 of the European …

View Full Text

Log in

Log in through your institution

Subscribe

* For online subscription