Frances Cappuccini Caesarean death trial halted

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-35424475

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A doctor and hospital trust have been cleared of the manslaughter of a woman who died hours after a Caesarean birth, after a landmark trial collapsed.

Mr Justice Coulson halted the trial of Dr Errol Cornish and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, saying it would be "unsafe and unfair" to go on.

Frances Cappuccini, 30, died after suffering a haemorrhage at Tunbridge Wells Hospital on 9 October 2012.

It was the first prosecution of an NHS trust for corporate manslaughter.

'Death a tragedy'

Dr Cornish, 67, of Holmbury Park, Bromley, south-east London, a consultant anaesthetist, denied manslaughter by gross negligence.

Mr Justice Coulson said: "I am firmly of the view that it would be unsafe and unfair to everyone, including Mrs Cappuccini's family, to leave this case to the jury.

"Her unexpected death can only properly be described as a tragedy."

He told the court Dr Cornish had taken actions that were "as far removed from a case of gross negligence manslaughter as it's possible to be" and he and the trust that employed him had "no case to answer".

In a statement following the collapse of the trial, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said "no outcome from these proceedings could bring any consolation to the family" adding its sympathies were with them.

"The allegation of corporate manslaughter has been consistently denied by the trust and now also comprehensively rejected by the court," it continued.

"The trust regrets that the Crown Prosecution Service saw fit to pursue the charge in the first place, given the additional stress this will have caused all involved."