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Brain-damaged boy awarded £5.6m

A 10-year-old boy who suffered brain damage during his birth has been awarded up to £5.6m in damages by a High Court judge.

Rajan Kanda has suffered from moderately severe cerebral palsy since his birth at Gravesend and North Kent Hospital in September 1997, his counsel, Dr Michael Powers QC, said in London.

Rajan was not delivered by Caesarean section following a high-risk pregnancy which meant he was deprived of oxygen.

The court heard he now has problems with walking and his memory, and because the condition affects the muscle tone in his limbs, he is likely to become increasingly reliant on a wheelchair as he gets older, and will require additional care.

Rajan, who lives with his parents, Lakhvinder and Mina, near Bedford, was in court to hear Mr Justice Bean approve the settlement against Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, which admitted liability at an early stage.

Cara Guthrie, counsel for the Trust, said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise that the care he received at the time of his birth was below what he ought to have received.

“We recognise that his brain damage has made life difficult for him and his parents.”

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Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

Related story: £5.4m damages over birth negligence

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