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Consultant’s suspension lifted

Controversial British consultant David Southall, who was struck off the medical register, has won his legal battle to overturn his immediate suspension from working as a doctor.

Mr Justice Stadlen has ordered that General Medical Council’s suspection, put in place by the Fitness to Practise Panel last December, “be set aside”.

It was imposed pending the outcome of an appeal against his striking off later this year.

There are still conditions in place that prevent the child specialist from undertaking child protection work.

The GMC conceded at London’s High Court that the suspension order was fatally flawed and the result of “a misapprehension as to the applicable legal test”.

Dr Southall, who now lives in Wales, was found guilty of serious professional misconduct.

He was found to have abused his position by accusing a grieving mother of murdering her 10-year-old son, and keeping secret files on children.

His actions were said to have added to the distress of the mother – Mandy Morris, from Shropshire – whose son Lee hanged himself in 1996.

In 2004 Dr Southall was suspended from child protection work over his role in the case of Sally Clark, wrongly jailed over the death of her two sons.

He accused Mrs Clark’s husband Steve of murdering the two boys on the basis of a television interview.

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