Justice Secretary considers Kelly case
8 September 2010 Last updated at 14:21
Ministers consider case for David Kelly death inquest
Ministers have met to discuss whether to release information about the death of government scientist Dr David Kelly and to hold a formal inquest.
It is understood Justice Secretary Ken Clarke is considering whether to release papers on Dr Kelly's autopsy.
The weapons expert's body was found in 2003 near his Oxfordshire home after he was exposed as the source of a BBC story on the grounds for war in Iraq.
In his 2004 inquiry, Lord Hutton found that Dr Kelly had committed suicide.
But several legal and medical experts have questioned the official cause of death, given as a haemorrhage, and called for an official inquest to take place.
The then Prime Minister Tony Blair asked Lord Hutton to conduct an investigation into Dr Kelly's death instead of an inquest.
'Under consideration'
Mr Clarke met Lord Hutton on Tuesday and Attorney General Dominic Grieve on Wednesday to discuss the case.
BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said it was understood that no decision has been reached on whether to release medical papers or to ask the High Court to order a fresh inquest, and that further discussions were required.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said a request for the release of medical papers was "currently under consideration".
Lord Hutton's inquiry found 59-year-old Dr Kelly died from blood loss after slashing his wrist with a blunt gardening knife.
But several legal and medical professionals have questioned the verdict as "extremely unlikely" in the light of new evidence.
In a letter to the Times earlier this year, former coroner Michael Powers, a former deputy coroner Margaret Bloom, and Julian Bion, a professor of intensive care medicine, claimed Lord Hutton's conclusion was unsafe.
They argued the wound to Dr Kelly's wrist was unlikely to be life-threatening unless an individual had a blood-clotting deficiency as "insufficient blood would have been lost to threaten life".
But the pathologist who performed the post-mortem examination on Dr Kelly's body has insisted that his was a "textbook case" of suicide.
In August, Nicholas Hunt said the scientist's death was a "classic case of self-inflicted injury" and he believed an official inquest would confirm this.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11229365
Ministers consider releasing Kelly details
Sep 9 2010 by Tomos Livingstone, Western Mail
SENIOR government ministers met last night to discuss the possible release of information about the death of government scientist Dr David Kelly in 2003.
The weapons expert’s body was found near his Oxfordshire home after he was exposed as the source of BBC reports on a Government’s dossier on the threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
Although an inquiry into the affair by Lord Hutton concluded that Llwynypia-born Dr Kelly committed suicide, there having been growing calls for an inquest into his death.
Lord Hutton, who met Justice Secretary Ken Clarke earlier this week, ruled at the time that his inquiry superseded an inquest.
Mr Clarke is considering whether to release papers on Dr Kelly’s autopsy, and whether to ask the High Court to order an inquest. Mr Clarke met Attorney General Dominic Grieve yesterday, but it is understood no decisions had yet been reached.
Lord Hutton’s inquiry found 59-year-old Dr Kelly died from blood loss after slashing his wrist with a blunt gardening knife.
A group of former coroners claimed earlier this year that there were question marks over that conclusion, although the pathologist who performed the post-mortem on Dr Kelly’s body has insisted it was a “textbook case” of suicide.
In August, Nicholas Hunt said the scientist’s death was a “classic case of self-inflicted injury” and he believed an official inquest would confirm this.
Barrister Michael Powers QC, who is acting for the former coroners in their bid to force an inquest, said: “We can’t wait indefinitely for the Government to make a decision. The doctors’ argument is that there has been insufficient inquiry into the death.
“It has been insufficient because so many people without axes to grind but wanting to see the system of justice operate recognise that it has not provided answers to perfectly proper questions which were never asked, challenged or cross-examined at the Hutton Inquiry.”
Dr Kelly’s body was found in July 2003 after he was identified as the source of a BBC story claiming the Government “sexed up” its now notorious dossier on Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction.
Lord Hutton concluded Dr Kelly took his own life and that the principal cause of death was “bleeding from incised wounds to his left wrist which Dr Kelly had inflicted on himself with the knife found beside his body”.
He also found the scientist took an overdose of co-proxamol tablets – a painkiller commonly used for arthritis – and that he was suffering from an undiagnosed heart condition.
But there have been a number of calls for another examination of the case and earlier this month Mr Grieve said: “We would like to resolve this in a way that can give the public reassurance.
“People who have expressed concerns about why Lord Hutton did not tie up every loose end may have a valid point.”
But he said he could not apply to the High Court for an inquest on a “hunch” and would have to take account of the feelings of the scientist’s close family, who have not asked for a new investigation into his death.
“I have been given no evidence to suggest an alternative cause of death,” Mr Grieve said.
In his memoir, published last week, former prime minister Tony Blair wrote: “I will never know precisely what made Dr Kelly take his own life. Who can ever know the reason behind these things? It was so sad, unnecessary and terrible. He had given such good and loyal service over so many years.
“Probably, unused to the intensity of the pressure which the [BBC] broadcast generated, he felt hemmed in and possibly vulnerable to internal discipline if his role emerged.”
He added: “The awful irony was that for all the controversy caused, Dr Kelly himself had long been advocate of getting rid of Saddam.”
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/09/09/ministers-consider-releasing-details-about-kelly-s-death-91466-27231812/
Ministers consider case for David Kelly death inquest
Ministers have met to discuss whether to release information about the death of government scientist Dr David Kelly and to hold a formal inquest.
It is understood Justice Secretary Ken Clarke is considering whether to release papers on Dr Kelly's autopsy.
The weapons expert's body was found in 2003 near his Oxfordshire home after he was exposed as the source of a BBC story on the grounds for war in Iraq.
In his 2004 inquiry, Lord Hutton found that Dr Kelly had committed suicide.
But several legal and medical experts have questioned the official cause of death, given as a haemorrhage, and called for an official inquest to take place.
The then Prime Minister Tony Blair asked Lord Hutton to conduct an investigation into Dr Kelly's death instead of an inquest.
'Under consideration'
Mr Clarke met Lord Hutton on Tuesday and Attorney General Dominic Grieve on Wednesday to discuss the case.
BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said it was understood that no decision has been reached on whether to release medical papers or to ask the High Court to order a fresh inquest, and that further discussions were required.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said a request for the release of medical papers was "currently under consideration".
Lord Hutton's inquiry found 59-year-old Dr Kelly died from blood loss after slashing his wrist with a blunt gardening knife.
But several legal and medical professionals have questioned the verdict as "extremely unlikely" in the light of new evidence.
In a letter to the Times earlier this year, former coroner Michael Powers, a former deputy coroner Margaret Bloom, and Julian Bion, a professor of intensive care medicine, claimed Lord Hutton's conclusion was unsafe.
They argued the wound to Dr Kelly's wrist was unlikely to be life-threatening unless an individual had a blood-clotting deficiency as "insufficient blood would have been lost to threaten life".
But the pathologist who performed the post-mortem examination on Dr Kelly's body has insisted that his was a "textbook case" of suicide.
In August, Nicholas Hunt said the scientist's death was a "classic case of self-inflicted injury" and he believed an official inquest would confirm this.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11229365
Ministers consider releasing Kelly details
Sep 9 2010 by Tomos Livingstone, Western Mail
SENIOR government ministers met last night to discuss the possible release of information about the death of government scientist Dr David Kelly in 2003.
The weapons expert’s body was found near his Oxfordshire home after he was exposed as the source of BBC reports on a Government’s dossier on the threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
Although an inquiry into the affair by Lord Hutton concluded that Llwynypia-born Dr Kelly committed suicide, there having been growing calls for an inquest into his death.
Lord Hutton, who met Justice Secretary Ken Clarke earlier this week, ruled at the time that his inquiry superseded an inquest.
Mr Clarke is considering whether to release papers on Dr Kelly’s autopsy, and whether to ask the High Court to order an inquest. Mr Clarke met Attorney General Dominic Grieve yesterday, but it is understood no decisions had yet been reached.
Lord Hutton’s inquiry found 59-year-old Dr Kelly died from blood loss after slashing his wrist with a blunt gardening knife.
A group of former coroners claimed earlier this year that there were question marks over that conclusion, although the pathologist who performed the post-mortem on Dr Kelly’s body has insisted it was a “textbook case” of suicide.
In August, Nicholas Hunt said the scientist’s death was a “classic case of self-inflicted injury” and he believed an official inquest would confirm this.
Barrister Michael Powers QC, who is acting for the former coroners in their bid to force an inquest, said: “We can’t wait indefinitely for the Government to make a decision. The doctors’ argument is that there has been insufficient inquiry into the death.
“It has been insufficient because so many people without axes to grind but wanting to see the system of justice operate recognise that it has not provided answers to perfectly proper questions which were never asked, challenged or cross-examined at the Hutton Inquiry.”
Dr Kelly’s body was found in July 2003 after he was identified as the source of a BBC story claiming the Government “sexed up” its now notorious dossier on Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction.
Lord Hutton concluded Dr Kelly took his own life and that the principal cause of death was “bleeding from incised wounds to his left wrist which Dr Kelly had inflicted on himself with the knife found beside his body”.
He also found the scientist took an overdose of co-proxamol tablets – a painkiller commonly used for arthritis – and that he was suffering from an undiagnosed heart condition.
But there have been a number of calls for another examination of the case and earlier this month Mr Grieve said: “We would like to resolve this in a way that can give the public reassurance.
“People who have expressed concerns about why Lord Hutton did not tie up every loose end may have a valid point.”
But he said he could not apply to the High Court for an inquest on a “hunch” and would have to take account of the feelings of the scientist’s close family, who have not asked for a new investigation into his death.
“I have been given no evidence to suggest an alternative cause of death,” Mr Grieve said.
In his memoir, published last week, former prime minister Tony Blair wrote: “I will never know precisely what made Dr Kelly take his own life. Who can ever know the reason behind these things? It was so sad, unnecessary and terrible. He had given such good and loyal service over so many years.
“Probably, unused to the intensity of the pressure which the [BBC] broadcast generated, he felt hemmed in and possibly vulnerable to internal discipline if his role emerged.”
He added: “The awful irony was that for all the controversy caused, Dr Kelly himself had long been advocate of getting rid of Saddam.”
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/09/09/ministers-consider-releasing-details-about-kelly-s-death-91466-27231812/
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