A leading Australian surgeon on Wednesday testified in a case related to the death of a patient operated by Indian-American doctor Jayant Patel, labelled by media as 'Dr Death', on the eighth day of his manslaughter trial.
Colorectal surgeon Brian Collopy testified via
video-link from Melbourne before the Brisbane Supreme Court in relation to Patel's 75-year-old patient Mervyn John Morris, according to media reports.
Further details of the hearing were not available.
Prosecutors opened the case against Patel last week by outlining the harm he is said to have done to them, including Morris, who died after surgery in 2003.
59-year-old Patel has been accused of failing to
properly investigate the cause of rectal bleeding and that his decision to remove part of Morris's colon was "unnecessary".
Patel has pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court in Brisbane to Morris's manslaughter, and also to the
manslaughter of two other men.
He has also pleaded not guilty to one count of
grievous bodily harm.
The charges relate to Patel's time as director of surgery at Bundaberg Base Hospital between 2003 and 2005.