David Southall : 8

David Southall has been continuing his evidence to the GMC disciplinary hearing. After his recent memory lapses, Southall seems to have recovered sufficiently to display a mastery of language. No,he said, he had not been aggressive or angry, when dealing with Mrs M., a woman whose 10 year old son had hanged himself. Rather he had been "professional" in investigating his concerns for the safety of the woman's other child. Southall denied accusing her of murder. From the Daily Mail: [link fixed]

Prof Southall said he had wanted to explore three "scenarios" with Mrs M - that of whether her son had died by accident, had committed suicide or had been killed by somebody.

Beneath the professorial semantics, the implication is clear: who was the "somebody" who did the killing, if not the mother?

The BBC reports that:

Asked by his QC, Kieran Coonan, if he had gone beyond his remit by accusing her of drugging her child and leaving him hanging on a curtain pole to die and then calling an ambulance he said: "No and that is just not acceptable.

"I did not do it. That is a key issue and that was the line across which I could not move."

More semantics. Of course he literally "did not do it" but the mind games he was playing with the mother were clearly intended to have that effect.

Over the last two reports I have noticed that Southall is cleverly managing to reduce the case to one of his word against that of the mothers' involved. I think the outcome is becoming increasingly predicable.

Tags: David Southall, GMC