Kidney doctors go free

by CLARE KITCHEN, Daily Mail

Two surgeons accused of killing a patient by removing his only healthy kidney were cleared yesterday.

Consultant John Roberts and Dr Mahesh Goel had the manslaughter case against them dismissed after the judge heard that their bungled operation may have played only 'a minimal part' in the patient's death.

Korean War veteran Graham Reeves died five weeks - and two further operations - after his functioning left kidney was wrongly removed.

The prosecution claimed during the two-week trial that the 70-year-old was the victim of 'thoughtlessness, want of due care and negligence'.

Roberts, 60, admitted in a statement to police that he may have looked at Mr Reeves' X-rays back to front before the operation.

Yesterday's acquittal at Cardiff Crown Court left Mr Reeves' longterm friend Lorraine Ashford stunned.

Mrs Ashford, 70, who lived near Mr Reeves in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, said the two years since her friend's death had been an ordeal.

She described Mr Reeves, a divorcee who had no children, as a 'very private man' with few surviving relatives.

'The case has brought a lot of painful memories back,' she said, and the acquittals had left her 'speechless'.

Yesterday's decision came after Home Office pathologist Dr Andrew

Davison told the jury that he 'could not be sure' that Mr Reeves died as a result of the botched operation at the Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli.

He accepted that the retired power station worker 'had two further operations that would not have been necessary had the correct kidney been taken out initially'.

But he told the court that the factors causing Mr Reeves' death were 'all inter-linked'.

He said Mr Reeves had septicaemia as well as adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

He added: 'ARDS has a 50 per cent mortality rate - but if associated with septicaemia this rate is higher.'

Mr Justice McKinnon said: 'Dr Davison cannot be sure the operation played a more than minimal part in Mr Reeves' death therefore the prosecution has to come to an end now.'

He directed the jury to deliver not guilty verdicts and ordered the 'substantial' costs of the two surgeons to be paid out of public funds.

The total cost to the taxpayer is estimated to be around £81,000.

Neither Roberts, of Tycoch, Swansea, nor 40-year- old Goel were suspended by the General Medical Council during the inquiry into Mr Reeves' death.

Roberts has since retired and Goel, whose address was given as Burnley General Hospital, has remained free to work, although he is still suspended by Carmarthenshire NHS Trust.

Roberts' solicitor Ian Barker said afterwards that the surgeon extended his deepest sympathies to Mr Reeves' family.

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