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| Ex-pathologist 'admits arrogance' | Ex-pathologist 'admits arrogance' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A former Home Office pathologist has admitted he was "incredibly arrogant" in wrongly asserting two women were murdered despite opposing evidence. | A former Home Office pathologist has admitted he was "incredibly arrogant" in wrongly asserting two women were murdered despite opposing evidence. |
| Dr Michael Heath resigned three years ago after he was strongly criticised for his work on the deaths of Mary Anne Moore and Jacqueline Tindsley. | Dr Michael Heath resigned three years ago after he was strongly criticised for his work on the deaths of Mary Anne Moore and Jacqueline Tindsley. |
| He now faces a General Medical Council (GMC) hearing in which his fitness to practise medicine is being questioned. | He now faces a General Medical Council (GMC) hearing in which his fitness to practise medicine is being questioned. |
| Dr Heath performed hundreds of examinations for high-profile cases. | Dr Heath performed hundreds of examinations for high-profile cases. |
| Mounting evidence | Mounting evidence |
| These included an examination on the body of Stuart Lubbock, who was found dead in a swimming pool at the Essex home of TV presenter Michael Barrymore in 2001. | |
| A government disciplinary panel three years ago found that Dr Heath bungled post-mortem examinations on the two women, leading to their partners being tried for murder. | |
| It found that in both cases Dr Heath's professional performance fell short of the standards required of forensic pathologists by the secretary of state. | It found that in both cases Dr Heath's professional performance fell short of the standards required of forensic pathologists by the secretary of state. |
| I just carried on going in an arrogant way and that was wrong Dr Michael Heath | I just carried on going in an arrogant way and that was wrong Dr Michael Heath |
| He refused to back down on his view that the two women had been murdered despite mounting evidence to the contrary. | He refused to back down on his view that the two women had been murdered despite mounting evidence to the contrary. |
| The doctor had been called in to examine Miss Tindsley, 55, whose body was found in her bed at home in Lowestoft, Suffolk, in March 2002. | |
| Her partner, Stephen Puaca, was jailed at Norwich Crown Court later that year for her murder following Dr Heath's evidence that she was asphyxiated. | |
| In November 2005 Mr Puaca's conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal after seven pathologists told the court they believed Miss Tindsley died from an epileptic seizure. | |
| In the latest hearing before the GMC, Dr Heath admitted his conduct in 2006 was "arrogant" and that he became his "own judge and jury". | |
| Dr Heath said: "At no stage did I seek help. I just carried on going in an arrogant way and that was wrong. | Dr Heath said: "At no stage did I seek help. I just carried on going in an arrogant way and that was wrong. |
| "It was not in the interests of justice and I can see that now. It has taken me some time to get there." | "It was not in the interests of justice and I can see that now. It has taken me some time to get there." |
| Dr Heath, who now conducts post-mortems on behalf of coroners, told the panel he had "absolutely no intention" of taking on forensic cases again in the future. | Dr Heath, who now conducts post-mortems on behalf of coroners, told the panel he had "absolutely no intention" of taking on forensic cases again in the future. |