Medic faces cover up claims over Mousa death

An army medic will face allegations today that he helped cover up the mistreatment of Iraqi detainees.

One prisoner, father-of-two Baha Mousa, 26, died after an "appalling episode of serious gratuitous violence" meted out by members of 1st Battalion the Queen's Lancashire Regiment (1QLR), a public inquiry ruled.

Dr Derek Keilloh was the senior medical officer when Mr Mousa and nine other detainees were kept in custody in Basra, Iraq, in September 2003.

The £13 million inquiry led by Sir William Gage strongly criticised the "corporate failure" by the Ministry of Defence that led to "conditioning" techniques banned by the UK in 1972, including hooding and making prisoners stand in painful stress positions, being used by soldiers in Iraq.

It also condemned the "lack of moral courage to report abuse" within Preston-based 1QLR.

It named 19 soldiers who assaulted Mr Mousa and other detainees, and found that many others, including several officers, must have known what was happening.

Dr Keilloh was criticised in last year's report over his claim that he saw no injuries on Mr Mousa's corpse.

The hotel receptionist sustained 93 injuries, including fractured ribs and a broken nose over 36 hours between September 14 and 15 2003.

The doctor will appear before a General Medical Council fitness to practise panel to answer a number of allegations levelled against him while he was the Regimental Medical Officer at Battlegroup Basra.

It is alleged he attempted to resuscitate Mr Mousa after he had stopped breathing on September 15 and that the injuries were observed by him and other medical staff.

He is then said to have failed to conduct an adequate examination of Mr Mousa's body after death and failed to notify a superior officer of the circumstances of his death. He faces similar claims relating to two other detainees he examined after Mr Mousa's death.

His account of those three examinations through witness statements given at the time, and maintained in interview under caution, at a court martial and at the public inquiry, are said to be "untrue".

The General Medical Council say Dr Keilloh's conduct was "dishonest" and "misleading", and that his fitness to practise is impaired because of his misconduct.

The hearing in Manchester is scheduled to last four weeks.