Doctor who let knife killer out of hospital to sue for damages

The family of a man stabbed to death by a mental patient today condemned a decision to allow the psychiatrist at the centre of the case back to work  -  and her court action seeking damages.

Dr Gillian Mezey, 50, was suspended on full pay following an inquiry which criticised her decision to let paranoid schizophrenic John Barrett out of hospital for an hour's "ground leave" without her seeing him in September 2004.

Barrett absconded and armed himself with a kitchen knife. The next day he stabbed banker Denis Finnegan, 50, as he cycled through Richmond Park, south west London.

Dr Mezey is suing her employers for unlimited damages. She returned to "non-patient contact work" in February and her representatives confirmed she will today resume "patient contact work" at South West London and St George's Mental Health Trust.

An independent inquiry in 2006 found that Dr Mezey's decision on Barrett over the phone without assessing him in person was " seriously flawed".

She claims the trust's disciplinary action against her was unlawful and a High Court writ is reported to state that the action had humiliated her.

Mr Finnegan's brother, John, said allowing Dr Mezey back to work was "a sad day for everyone involved in mental health".

"The message it gives out is that psychiatrists can ignore the law, ignore Home Office procedure, and ignore the conditions of discharge placed on a patient by a mental health tribunal, forget about following good practice and when things go horribly wrong, sue their employer for an indecent amount of money and stop them from taking any disciplinary action against them."

Victim: banker Denis Finnegan (left) was stabbed to death by John Barrett

The family campaigned for two years for the independent inquiry which confirmed that Barrett's care at Springfield Hospital in Tooting was inadequate.

Barrett, then 43, was sent to Broadmoor Hospital for treatment after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at the Old Bailey. He was detained for life at the hearing.

Mr Finnegan added: "It should be us not her suing the trust. The reason we didn't is because we wanted it to learn lessons in doing what was right and that was suspending Gill Mezey."

A spokesman for the Medical Protection Society, representing Dr Mezey, said: "She would again like to express her sincere sympathies to the family about the tragic death of Denis Finnegan.

"There remain legal issues to resolve between Dr Mezey and South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust."