Heartache as inquest is halted
FAMILY’S WAIT GOES ON IN NEW TWIST TO POST-MORTEM WRANGLE
MEMBERS of a family who have waited eight years to find out how their loved one died face fresh heartache after an inquest into his death was dramatically halted.
Allan Porter was 32 when he died in 2010. At the time, his family disputed the results of a post mortem, carried out by senior Manchester doctor Khalid Ahmed, and sought a second opinion. Another specialist’s conclusions challenged the original findings.
Last year, concerns were raised by senior north Manchester coroner Joanne Kearsley over Dr Ahmed’s work. She commissioned a review of 38 of his post mortems, which found some of his reports ‘inadequate’ and that most had given an ‘incorrect’ cause of death.
It led to Mr Porter’s inquest - and hearings relating to the deaths of 25 others - being put on hold. Mr Porter’s family had expected an inquest into his death, headed by Ms Kearsley, to finally go ahead yesterday. But it was halted after Dr Ahmed’s legal team questioned if Ms Kearsley should be the one to preside over the hearing.
Michael Rawlinson, on behalf of Dr Ahmed, told the court that Ms Kearsley could be called as a witness in ongoing General Medical Council proceedings about Dr Ahmed’s fitness to practice, and requested she consider removing herself from the inquest.
The court heard that Professor Simon Kim Suvarna, a consultant histopathologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, who was called in to look into a sample of Dr Ahmed’s autopsies for the coroner, may also be called to give evidence.
The issue came to light in a GMC hearing held last week, but was only presented to North Manchester Coroners’ Court yesterday, shortly before the inquest into Mr Porter’s death was due to begin.
Ms Kearsley said she had not been contacted directly by the GMC, about whether or not she would be called to contribute to the inquiry.
Adjourning the inquest so Dr Ahmed’s team could prepare a written submission of their legal argument, Ms Kearsley expressed her sympathies for Mr Porter’s family, some of whom wept as the Heywood hearing was halted.
Addressing the family, the coroner said: “It’s not often this court can be almost at a loss for words for what to say to you. This is one of the most serious submissions a court will have to rule on, whether or not I can legally hear these inquests. In fairness to your legal teams and the trust’s legal team, I have to give them the opportunity to comment on the submissions that have been made. I know you understand that, but it’s of no comfort to you.”
Mr Ahmed’s legal team has seven days to provide a full written submission to the court, with solicitors for the family and Pennine Acute Trust given the following seven days to respond.