Ian Tomlinson Pathologist Struck Off

The pathologist who carried out the original post-mortem examination on Ian Tomlinson, who died in the G20 protests, has been struck off.

Dr Freddy Patel was finally banned from practising as a doctor despite being investigated numerous times and suspended on two previous occasions by medical watchdogs over his unsatisfactory work dating back a decade.

He was found guilty of misconduct but was not at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), sitting in Manchester.

Patel, who qualified at the University of Zambia in 1974 and has practised as a pathologist for 35 years, was excused attendance to look after his sick wife but listened in on the hearing by conference call from London.

The medic's actions were found to be misleading, dishonest and liable to bring his profession into disrepute over parts of his handling of the post-mortem examination of Ian Tomlinson.

Mr Tomlinson, 47, died on April 1, 2009, after he became caught up in the G20 riots in the City of London as he tried to get home and was forcibly pushed over by PC Simon Harwood.

Dr Patel carried out the post-mortem on Mr Tomlinson and concluded that he died from a heart attack, but questions were raised when an American tourist came forward with a video recording of him being hit and falling to the ground.

Further medical reports suggested that Mr Tomlinson died from an injury to his liver that caused internal bleeding and then cardiac arrest. At the inquest into Mr Tomlinson's death, Dr Patel's claim that he died of a heart attack was discredited by the jury in favour of the string of experts who said he died of internal bleeding.

Dr Patel's first post-mortem also made it all but impossible to conclude with any certainty how Mr Tomlinson came to die.

His two reports into his examination of Mr Tomlinson's body were found to be inadequate.

Dr Patel admitted he did not include in his first report that he mentioned to police during the examination that he found injuries that could be consistent with a baton strike.

The MPTS panel found that Patel did not properly consider or comment on the fact that abdominal bleeding found on Mr Tomlinson could have caused his collapse and death.

The Rev Robert Lloyd-Richards, chairman of the MPTS panel, told Dr Patel he had an "unwarranted confidence" in his
ability, "a deep-seated attitudinal problem" and also "lacked insight".

It also found that the pathologist did not adequately explain how Mr Tomlinson could have died from a heart attack or adequately consider any other possible non-natural causes of his death.

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the General Medical Council, said: "We welcome the decision by the MPTS that Dr Patel's name should be removed from the medical register. This means he is no longer able to practise as a doctor in the UK.

"We asked for him to be removed from the register as the best way of protecting the public because his conduct fell far below the standards we expect of a doctor. We are therefore pleased by today's outcome."

Adrian Hopkins QC, representing Dr Patel, claimed it was in the public interest to allow such an experienced pathologist to carry on providing his expertise.

He said Dr Patel, who was already suspended before being struck off today, had been unable to work for the past two years and had suffered "considerable financial hardship".

But Dr Patel was told his "deep-seated attitudinal problem" and involvement in five different post-mortem failings meant he could no longer remain on the medical register.

Other botched cases include those of a four-week-old baby, a five-year-old girl and an elderly woman.

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