Paediatrician faces being struck off

A paediatrician involved in the case of Sally Clark, who was
cleared of killing her two sons in January 2003, appeared before
the General Medical Council professional conduct committee this
week charged with serious professional misconduct.

David Southall, a doctor at City General Hospital in Stoke on
Trent, Staffordshire, is alleged to have contacted the child
protection unit of Staffordshire police in 2000 with concerns that
Clark’s husband Stephen had suffocated one of his sons.

Southall is alleged to have gained this impression from watching a
Channel 4 documentary, Dispatches, on Sally Clark, who had
been jailed the previous year.

Southall is also charged with later writing a report on the case
for solicitors without speaking to the Clarks or having access to
court papers or medical records.

If found guilty of the allegations, Southall could be struck off
the medical register.