A DOCTOR who carried out a post-mortem on a victim of serial killer Harold Shipman is facing disciplinary proceedings today.
Consultant pathologist Dr David Bee is going before the Professional Conduct Committee of the General Medical Council in Manchester.
Dr Bee, now retired, faces charges of serious professional misconduct after he carried out an autopsy on a victim who died at the hands of Britain's biggest mass murderer.
His autopsy was criticised by Dame Janet Smith, chairman of the Shipman Inquiry into the killer's spree. She described Dr Bee's work as "deeply flawed" and "lax".
He told the inquiry he felt under pressure to find natural causes of death in order to avoid an inquest.
Shipman killed hundreds of his patients by giving them morphine overdoses.
Six other GPs are also facing the GMC committee.
Dr Peter Bennett, Dr Susan Booth, Dr Jeremy Dirckze, Dr Stephen Farrar, Dr Alistair MacGillivray and Dr Rajesh Patel all worked as GPs in Hyde, Greater Manchester, where Shipman's practice was based.
The six regularly signed cremation forms for Shipman, as another doctor is needed to confirm a patient's death.
They were criticised by the Shipman Inquiry for failing to question the doctor's unusually high death rates, his presence at many deaths and his use of terms such as "old age" and "natural causes" under the Form C, Cause of Death section of the paperwork.
