Indian origin doctor sentenced for man-slaughter

London, Feb, 7: An Indian origin doctor on Friday, Feb 6 was convicted for manslaughter and awarded with a sentence of suspended six months jail. Priya Ramanath, 60 working at Britain's National Health Service, injected Patricia Leighton, a patient in intensive care with adrenaline against the advice of her three colleagues in the Stafford District General Hospital in July 1998. Leighton died from heart failure shortly after she was injected with the drug.

Ramanath who stays in US was convicted of the patient's murder and handed the suspended jail sentence at the Birmingham Brown Court for going against the wishes of three colleagues and failing to speak to a consultant anaesthetist at the hospital before injecting the drug into Leighton.

The doctor was in London in February to face the charge after being threatened with extradition. The jury found her guilty by a 10-2 majority while Ramanath denied manslaughter by gross negligence.

The prosecuting lawyer, Michael Burrows said, that within moments of the injection Leighton jerked forward in her bed and exclaimed: "What's happening to me? I am going to die." She lost consciousness shortly afterwards.

OneIndia News (With inputs from Agencies)