American 'Dr Death' guilty of manslaughter in Australian hospital

Jayant Patel, and Indian-born US doctor who has been dubbed "Dr Death", has been found guilty of killing three Australian patients and of causing grievous bodily harm to a fourth.

By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney
Published: 12:35PM BST 29 Jun 2010

Patel, 60, worked at the Bundaberg Hospital in Queensland between 2003 and 2005 after leaving America, where he had been disciplined for "gross negligence" in 2000.

He did not inform his Australian colleagues of his professional history when he assumed the role of director of surgery, and went on to conduct several unnecessary, inappropriate and botched operations.

The disgraced doctor had pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of Mervyn Morris, Gerardus Kemps and James Phillips, as well as the grievous bodily harm of Ian Vowels.

But after six days, the jury found him guilty on all counts.

During the 15-week trial, the jury heard how Patel removed a perfectly healthy bowel from Mr Vowles, now aged 63, and carried out a painful and lengthy operation on Mr Phillips, 46, who was in the final stages of throat cancer.

He caused the death of Mr Morris, 75, by failing to properly investigate the cause of his rectal bleeding, and unnecessarily removing part of his colon. Mr Kemps, 77, died after Patel had performed an oesophagectomy on him, but left him to bleed for hours, only opting to re-operate the following day.

Prosecutor Ross Martin said there was evidence that Patel was a man driven by "toxic ego" who performed surgeries that were beyond his skill level.

His defence claimed Patel was simply an overworked surgeon whose patients had all consented to the operations.

Patel was named Dr Death by the Australian media when he fled back to America in 2005 in an attempt to avoid standing trial for his crimes.

But he was extradited and arrived back in Brisbane in 2008.

Beryl Crosby, a patient advocate, said the verdict was a huge relief.

"I hope with all my heart that these people and their families can move on," she told the Australian Associated Press.

"For a lot of people this is going to be closure.

"The verdict was guilty, it doesn't matter what happens from here."

He will be sentenced on Thursday.

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/7860734/American-Dr-Death-guilty-of-manslaughter-in-Australian-hospital.html