October 6th, 2009
A surgeon could be facing legal action over a death in hospital after new evidence came to light regarding the incident.
William John Martin, 55, died in 2001 during an operation at the City Hospital, the Belfast Telegraph reports.
Surgeon Dick Donaldson tore the victim’s portal vein and hepatic artery while performing a bladder removal procedure and it is claimed by Mr Martin’s family that this was a result of clinical negligence.
The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has said it is looking into the death again and may formally reopen the investigation, leaving Mr Martin’s family free to pursue legal action if the surgeon is found to be negligent.
A spokesperson said: "The PPS confirmed that in light of new information which has been brought to its attention it will be meeting with police this week."
Clinical negligence occurs when a professional in the health service provides care that is deemed to be below standard and this causes physical injury, death or distress.
Negligence may occur from delay or failure to diagnose a condition, delay or failure to treat a condition, when a treatment goes wrong, use of the wrong treatment, or failure to obtain consent.
Tags: Belfast Telegraph, Bladder, Clinical Negligence, Dick, Donaldson, Faces, Failure, Health Service, Injury Death, New Evidence, Portal Vein, Pps, Public Prosecution Service, Spokesperson
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
June 29th, 2009
A man who was in prison for 15 years for a crime he did not commit is claiming £1 million in compensation for the injustice.
Andrew Adams, 39, was jailed in 1993 for the murder of Alfred Royal in Newcastle, but his conviction was overturned in January 2007.
He thought he would be paid compensation for the miscarriage of justice, but was told he would receive nothing because he could not show that the conviction came as a result of new evidence.
Now, Mr Adams is taking the case to the court of appeal in a bid to get a payout for the 15 years he spent behind bars.
"All I’m asking for is to get back what was taken away from me when I was put in prison," he told the Chronicle Live.
The victim claims that he did not receive appropriate representation at his trial and that his lawyers had not used a number of facts that could have led to his acquittal.
Anyone who is the victim of a miscarriage of justice is eligible for compensation if new evidence comes to light that proves they were not responsible for the original crime.
Tags: 1 Million, Acquittal, Andrew Adams, Conviction, Court Of Appeal, Injustice, Lawyers, Miscarriage Of Justice, Mr Adams, New Evidence, Newcastle
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
