A woman who had the wrong body part removed by her surgeon is lodging a police complaint after the NHS destroyed vital evidence needed for a public inquiry.
Disgraced Dr Sam Eljamel was head of neurosurgery at NHS Tayside in Dundee from 1995 until his suspension in 2013, when a series of allegations emerged that he had harmed dozens of patients.
Police are examining around 200 complaints involving claims that Eljamel carried out life-changing “botched” brain and spinal operations.
Sky News previously heard some people left paralysed are requiring 24/7 care.
NHS orders staff to stop shredding
A judge-led public inquiry is currently under way in Scotland, and NHS Tayside was given a formal “do not destroy” notice to protect vital evidence for the hearings.
It emerged in November that health bosses got rid of 40 hard copy theatre logbooks linked to the disgraced surgeon’s operations.
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On Friday, NHS Tayside issued an all-staff email with an order to stop shredding documents.
Eljamel is now thought to be operating at hospitals in his native Libya.
Sky News contacted the hospital in Misrata, Libya, where an employee confirmed he works almost every day. They declined our request to speak directly to him.
Campaigners call in police
Jules Rose was Eljamel’s final patient in the UK before he was suspended in 2013.
Her tear duct was removed instead of her brain tumour. She subsequently sued the NHS and won.
Ms Rose, now a leading campaigner in the fight for justice, is lodging a police complaint against NHS Tayside over the destruction of the theatre logbooks.
The former marathon runner, who brands Eljamel a “butcher”, is set to file a dossier with detectives in Dundee on Monday afternoon.
An excerpt of the complaint, seen by Sky News, states “the materials destroyed were capable of identifying witnesses, corroborating criminal conduct and testing the integrity of patient records”.
The document suggests the shredding happened “shortly before Police Scotland sought access to these same records” as part of their ongoing investigation.
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NHS Tayside told Sky News the staff who destroyed the logbooks were “not aware of the connection” between Eljamel and the documents.
A spokeswoman confirmed the theatre information had been requested by police, who were later informed it had been shredded by mistake.
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