Murder claim doctor struck off

A paediatrician who falsely accused a Shropshire woman of killing her 10-year-old son has been struck off the medical register for serious professional misconduct.

Dr David Southall was told by the General Medical Council that he had "deep-seated attitudinal problems".

The council's ruling in London yesterday came three years after he was found guilty of serious professional misconduct for accusing the husband of solicitor Sally Clark of murdering their children.

Chairman Dr Jacqueline Mitton told Dr Southall: "The panel has concluded that you have deep-seated attitudinal problems and that your misconduct is so serious that it is fundamentally incompatible with your continuing to be a registered medical practitioner."

Dr Southall has never apologised to the Clark family or to Mrs Mandy Morris, referred to as Mrs M during the GMC hearing.

Mrs Morris, formerly of Oswestry, found her 10-year-old son, Lee, hanged in his bedroom at home after an upset at school in June 1996. Still grieving over his death, she was accused by Dr Southall of killing him.

The accusations led to her younger son Dale being put into care for 44 days.

She was later cleared of any suggestion she was responsible for Lee's death or posed a threat to Dale and started a complaint against the hospital from where the accusation first came.

In 2000, Mrs Morris told the Shropshire Star of the family's nightmare.

"I can't tell you how awful it was to think that anyone could imagine I would have hurt Lee, particularly someone who had never even met me," she said.

"It could have torn our family apart but it has actually made us, if that is possible, a stronger and closer family than before."

Mrs Morris, now living with her family in Australia, gave evidence to the GMC hearing by video. It was ruled last week that he had acted inappropriately and added to her distress.

The paediatrician has been suspended from the medical register but has 28 days to lodge an appeal.

A Ludlow family say they have also suffered at the hands of Dr Southall.

Lawrence Alexander, of Ludlow and is now 21, was treated by Dr Southall when he was five months old in 1987. His mother Janet claims Dr Southall made Lawrence a ward of court, despite the fact that he had received no paediatric training, and made allegations suggesting she and her husband Robin harmed him.

In a statement read yesterday on Dr Southall's behalf his solicitor Anne Ball said: "I have always maintained that the decisions I took were in the best interest of the children involved."

By Sue Austin