Birmingham medics and hospital bosses could face fatal drug charges
HOSPITAL bosses and medics in Birmingham could face manslaughter charges in connection with the fatal overdose of two cancer patients.
Police officers from the Major Crime Review Team have been gathering evidence on the deaths of father-of-three Paul Richards and Baljit Singh Sunner, who were both wrongly given five times the dose of a toxic side-effect drug.
Files on a junior doctor and two nurses are being passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, in Bordesley Green, where the men died within hours of each other, could also be targeted because of failings and health and safety issues.
IT consultant Mr Richards, 35, of Signal Hayes Road, Sutton Coldfield, and 36-year-old leukaemia victim Mr Sunner, of Station Road, Stechford, were recovering on Oncology Ward 19 when they died in July 2007.
Detective Chief Inspector Glenn Moss, leading the inquiry for West Midlands Police, said: “We were invited by Birmingham coroner Aidan Cotter to hear evidence at the inquest, and an inquiry into the deaths of two patients is ongoing. We are working with the CPS and cannot go into detail about exact charges.”
An inquest last month ruled that neglect contributed to both deaths.
