Australia's 'Dr Death' jailed for seven years. An Indian-born surgeon dubbed "Doctor Death" was jailed for seven years in Australia Thursday for the manslaughter of three patients and for injuring another with needless and botched operations.
Australia's 'Dr Death' jailed for seven year
Jayant Patel, 60, was facing a maximum life sentence after a Supreme Court jury found him guilty of criminal negligence at Queensland's Bundaberg Base Hospital.
"The community denounces your repeated serious disregard for the welfare of the four patients," Judge John Byrne told the court.
The sentence was less than the 10 years requested by prosecutors but harsher than the suspended term urged by Patel's lawyers. Patel will be eligible for release on parole after three-and-a-half years.
The prosecution had argued Patel was "motivated by ego and suffering from lack of insight" and was criminally negligent in operating on Gerry Kemps, 77, Mervyn Morris, 75, and James Phillips, 46, who all died.
The fourth patient, Ian Vowles, 63, suffered serious injuries when Patel removed his healthy bowel.
"Three lives were lost and Mr Vowles will suffer for the rest of his life," Byrne said.
He added that Patel deliberately hid the fact that he had been found guilty of gross negligence in the United States before taking the job at Bundaberg, and was banned from doing the kind of operations he performed in Australia without seeking a second opinion.
"The order for your surgical misadventures in Oregon gave very good reason to reflect before commending surgery to patients in Bundaberg... yet you told no one about the order," the judge said.
An official inquiry into Queensland state's health system prompted by Patel's case linked him to numerous fatalities at Bundaberg hospital, and local politician Rob Messenger said there were at least 87 deaths under his watch.
Patel, branded "Dr Death" by the media after concerns about his work first came to light, has denied all charges and is likely to appeal. He faces another trial on counts of fraud and one of grievous bodily harm.
Prosecutor Ross Martin had asked Byrne to jail the surgeon for at least 10 years, arguing it was an unparalleled medical negligence and noting Patel's "striking persistence... (despite) undeniably bad outcomes, and warnings".
The defence said Patel had been publicly vilified and was a virtual prisoner in his own home since his extradition to Australia from the US. They asked that he be handed a suspended term of no more than four or five years.
Victims welcomed the sentence, with Kemps' "very happy" widow Judy saying she "couldn't have wished for better".
"For me the conviction was the main thing. He's been found guilty and whatever they do after that it, doesn't worry me," Kemps said.
"My only aim has always been to stop him from doing further damage," she added.
But Vowles said he would have liked to see Patel "put away for life" for the amount of pain he had caused.
"I'm glad it's all over," he added. "We just have to make the best of what we've got and keep on going."
Queensland's health department said it had spent millions of dollars reviewing hundreds of Patel's patients, fast-tracking them through waiting lists and appointing specialist support staff. ( msn.com )
Australia's 'Dr Death' jailed for seven year
Jayant Patel, 60, was facing a maximum life sentence after a Supreme Court jury found him guilty of criminal negligence at Queensland's Bundaberg Base Hospital.
"The community denounces your repeated serious disregard for the welfare of the four patients," Judge John Byrne told the court.
The sentence was less than the 10 years requested by prosecutors but harsher than the suspended term urged by Patel's lawyers. Patel will be eligible for release on parole after three-and-a-half years.
The prosecution had argued Patel was "motivated by ego and suffering from lack of insight" and was criminally negligent in operating on Gerry Kemps, 77, Mervyn Morris, 75, and James Phillips, 46, who all died.
The fourth patient, Ian Vowles, 63, suffered serious injuries when Patel removed his healthy bowel.
"Three lives were lost and Mr Vowles will suffer for the rest of his life," Byrne said.
He added that Patel deliberately hid the fact that he had been found guilty of gross negligence in the United States before taking the job at Bundaberg, and was banned from doing the kind of operations he performed in Australia without seeking a second opinion.
"The order for your surgical misadventures in Oregon gave very good reason to reflect before commending surgery to patients in Bundaberg... yet you told no one about the order," the judge said.
An official inquiry into Queensland state's health system prompted by Patel's case linked him to numerous fatalities at Bundaberg hospital, and local politician Rob Messenger said there were at least 87 deaths under his watch.
Patel, branded "Dr Death" by the media after concerns about his work first came to light, has denied all charges and is likely to appeal. He faces another trial on counts of fraud and one of grievous bodily harm.
Prosecutor Ross Martin had asked Byrne to jail the surgeon for at least 10 years, arguing it was an unparalleled medical negligence and noting Patel's "striking persistence... (despite) undeniably bad outcomes, and warnings".
The defence said Patel had been publicly vilified and was a virtual prisoner in his own home since his extradition to Australia from the US. They asked that he be handed a suspended term of no more than four or five years.
Victims welcomed the sentence, with Kemps' "very happy" widow Judy saying she "couldn't have wished for better".
"For me the conviction was the main thing. He's been found guilty and whatever they do after that it, doesn't worry me," Kemps said.
"My only aim has always been to stop him from doing further damage," she added.
But Vowles said he would have liked to see Patel "put away for life" for the amount of pain he had caused.
"I'm glad it's all over," he added. "We just have to make the best of what we've got and keep on going."
Queensland's health department said it had spent millions of dollars reviewing hundreds of Patel's patients, fast-tracking them through waiting lists and appointing specialist support staff. ( msn.com )
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