Doctors in legal bid for inquest on Kelly

A GROUP of leading doctors will go to the High Court this week to attempt to force an inquest into the death of Dr David Kelly.

The six doctors claim it is not possible to prove that Kelly committed suicide based on the medical information available and are seeking a court ruling to force Attorney General Dominic Grieve to seek a new inquest.

They say an inquest is necessary as medical evidence into the weapons inspector's death has never been discussed publicly. Grieve said an inquest could only take place if new evidence is found.

The doctors appealing at the High Court - Stephen Frost; Martin Birnstingl; David Halpin; Andrew Rouse; Christopher Burns-Cox; and Michael Powers QC - are all experts in trauma and vascular surgery and insist they are motivated by "professional integrity".

They claim the Hutton inquiry's verdict that Kelly, who had been revealed as the source behind claims that the government "sexed up" the case for war in 2003, bled to death after cutting his wrist was not sufficiently proved.

Frances Swaine, a solicitor representing all of the doctors except Powers, said: "They think it outrageous that this view has simply been accepted without examination. We have not seen any evidence that Dr Kelly bled to death in the way Lord Hutton thought likely."

Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke is expected to respond this week. Swaine claimed a suicide verdict without proper examination of medical evidence was uncommon, adding: "The post mortem report was seen by Lord Hutton but so far as we know, never considered, at least not at the inquiry."