Victims angry as Dr. Patel offers condolences

August 29, 2012 11:29 pm | Updated November 09, 2016 06:58 pm IST - Melbourne:

After a High Court quashed his conviction on three counts of manslaughter, Indian-origin surgeon Jayant Patel praised the justice system and sympathised with his former patients. Dr. Patel (62) was released from jail on Friday after the High Court unanimously overturned his conviction by ruling his trial a mistrial.

In a television interview aired on Tuesday, Dr. Patel — dubbed ‘Dr Death’ by Australian media — expressed his sympathy to the families of his patients while declaring he would remain in Australia “as long as it takes” to clear his name. “I want to offer my sincere condolences and sympathy to my former patients and their families affected by these events.”

He said the last four years of which two years he spent in prison had been “traumatic”.

“In that trial, allegations were made not only about my competence as a doctor but also going to the root of my character and my decency as a human being,” he said.

Dr. Patel was found guilty by a Supreme Court jury in Brisbane on June 29, 2010, of the manslaughter involving Gerry Kemps (77), James Phillips (46) and Mervyn Morris (75) as well as causing grievous bodily harm to Ian Rodney Vowles (now 65).

His former patients reacted with anger on his TV appearance. Ian Vowles (65), who had a section of his bowel removed by Dr. Patel, said he was not convinced by the offer of condolences. “He went on a real lot about nothing. He absolutely said virtually nothing at all.” The Director of Public Prosecutions is considering whether to hold another trial. Dr. Patel is due to appear in the Supreme Court on Friday.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.