News

A Home Office pathologist who claimed there was "overwhelming evidence" of a double murder in the Sally Clark baby case fell short of expected medical standards, a disciplinary panel was told this week.

Dr Alan Williams was appearing before the General Medical Council's professional conduct committee accused of serious professional misconduct over post-mortem examinations he performed on 12-week-old Christopher Clark in 1996 and eight-week-old Harry two years later.

Clark was jailed for life for smothering the boys but had her conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal after spending three years in prison.

The committee has already ruled that Williams failed in his duty to consider all possible causes of death and said his post-mortem on Christopher was so impaired it could not be considered reliable.

It has also decided that he had withheld details of blood samples taken from Christopher and had given the cause of death as lower respiratory tract infection, which "did not have a proper scientific basis".

The committee is now considering whether Williams's practice amounts to serious professional misconduct. Williams denies the charge.

The hearing continues.