A former British army doctor failed to protect detainees and acted dishonestly after the death of Iraqi prisoner Baha Mousa, medical watchdogs ruled yesterday.
Dr Derek Keilloh, appearing before the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), denied any cover-up and claimed he spotted only dried blood around the nose of hotel receptionist Mr Mousa after he was arrested and beaten by British soldiers in Basra in 2003.
Hooded with a sandbag for nearly 24 hours, Mr Mousa suffered 93 separate injuries, including fractured ribs and a broken nose, during the final 36 hours of his life in the custody of the 1st Battalion, Queen’s Lancashire Regiment.
Dr Keilloh – the senior medic on duty, who treated Mr Mousa on the night he died, denied any knowledge of such injuries.
Today the GP, who works at Mayford House surgery in Northallerton, Yorkshire, was found guilty of a series of failures after Mr Mousa’s death.
The MPTS found he was aware of the injuries to the victim but failed to conduct an adequate examination of the body.He then failed to assess other detainees, protect them from further mistreatment and inform senior officers.
The MPTS said he engaged in “misleading and dishonest” conduct when, at courts martial and a subsequent public inquiry, he said under oath he saw no injuries to Mr Mousa’s body.
The tribunal will now decide whether his behaviour amounts to misconduct and, if so, what the penalty should be.