David Sellu, a senior doctor at a private hospital in north-west London has received a two-and-a-half year prison sentence for killing a patient.
Surgeon David Sellu was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence at the Old Bailey.
The victim James Hughes 56 died in 2010 at the Clementine Churchill Hospital in Harrow after suffering a perforated bowel following a knee replacement.
Sellu ignored Mr Hughes’ condition and went on with his own clinic the court heard.
Following Mr Hughes’s knee operation on 5 February 2010 the retired builder from County Armagh Northern Ireland suffered from abdominal pain and he was then transferred to Mr Sellu’s care.
The Old Bailey heard that Mr Sellu “simply ignored’ how urgent and potentially life threatening Mr Hughes’s condition was and instead of attending to Mr Hughes he worked on his scheduled appointments.
Mr Hughes died on 14 February 2010.
Elizabeth Joslin of the Crown Prosecution Service said Sellu’s care “fell far below the expected standard with terrible consequences”.
“This doctor’s actions were not mistakes or errors of judgement but negligence so serious that he has now been convicted of a criminal offence” she said.
Mr Hughes’s widow Ann Hughes said that the family had experience “tortuous purgatory” which has only ended because of “truth and justice”.
She said: “Our trust in normal processes authorities and structures of society was shattered by the inexplicable callous and deceitful actions of the medical profession entrusted with the most basic responsibility to protect human life.”
Mr Sellu 66 had denied gross negligence manslaughter.
Mr Sellu was found not guilty of perjury following the accusation that he was lying under oath to the victim’s inquest.
If you or a loved have suffered injury as a consequence of medical negligence you can contact our team of medical negligence solicitors now on 0844 499 9303 to discuss the possibility of making a claim for compensation.
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