 Dr Priya Ramnath had denied manslaughter by gross negligence |
A doctor has been found guilty of killing a patient by giving her a fatal injection of adrenaline against the advice of three colleagues.
Patricia Leighton, 51, had been taken into Staffordshire District General Hospital suffering from septic shock. She died there in July 1998.
Dr Priya Ramnath, 40, had denied manslaughter by gross negligence.
She was given a suspended six-month jail sentence after being convicted at Birmingham Crown Court.
Staffordshire Police revealed after the case that Ramnath, who was due to take annual leave, resigned from her post at the hospital on 28 July - six days after Mrs Leighton's death.
She arrived in Orlando, Florida, a day later.
 |  They have faced agonising times to see justice brought and we hope that they can now find some form of closure  Det Ch Insp Phil Bladen |
An inquest in August 2004 recorded a verdict of unlawful killing on Mrs Leighton and police then took steps to extradite Ramnath.
The four-week hearing was previously told by Ramnath's colleague, Dr Doris Ng, that she was "horrified" the injection had been given.
Mrs Leighton, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, was admitted to hospital in Cannock on 20 July 1998 for treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and an infected bunion.
She suffered side-effects to antibiotics and was transferred to the intensive care unit in Stafford with septic shock.
It was there that Ramnath gave her adrenaline, she said, in an effort to raise Mrs Leighton's blood pressure.
 Patricia Leighton died at the hospital in July 1998 |
Michael Burrows, prosecuting, had told the court that within moments of receiving the jab, Mrs Leighton had "jerked forward and sat bolt upright in her bed".
He said she had shouted out: "What's happening to me? I am going to die."
Shortly afterwards, Mrs Leighton lost consciousness and her heart stopped.
Ramnath and other colleagues tried to resuscitate Mrs Leighton but failed.
Mother-of-two Ramnath declined to give evidence during her trial.
However, Dr John Coakley, an expert in intensive care medicine who works at London's Homerton Hospital, told the trial Mrs Leighton probably died of septic shock - not the injection.
He said he "did not envy" any of the doctors who dealt with her as he said her condition had been critical when she was admitted to hospital.
| It doesn't matter how long ago a crime happened, you just can't let it go, you have to fight for justice Leighton family statement |
Dr Coakley said Mrs Leighton had only been given about a 50% chance of survival at that time.
Mrs Justice Rafferty said the doctor had panicked in the "pressure cooker" of the intensive care unit.
The judge told Ramnath: "The jury has found that Mrs Leighton would have lived longer, perhaps days, but for your gross negligence."
Mrs Justice Rafferty added that Ramnath's biggest mistake was refusing to listen to her colleagues.
The jury convicted her with a 10-to-two verdict after three days of deliberations.
A statement from Mrs Leighton's family after the case described her as a "very loyal and family-orientated person with a lovely, gentle nature".
'Overcome hurdles'
The statement said: "A lot of lives got wrecked the day she was taken from us."
It continued: "We have overcome many hurdles to get this case to trial.
"It doesn't matter how long ago a crime happened, you just can't let it go, you have to fight for justice.
"We are happy that the jury have returned a guilty verdict and that justice has at last been served, and hope that she will never be able to wreck another family's life."
Det Ch Insp Phil Bladen said it had been a "complicated and highly unusual" case.
He added: "Our thoughts have been very much with Mrs Leighton's family, who have waited more than 10 years to see someone made culpable.
"They have faced agonising times to see justice brought and we hope that they can now find some form of closure."
