( In a rare and ill conceived case, which should never have come to court, Dr. John was wrongly charged with professional negligence. The prosecution alleged that he gave out reckless advice that led directly to the death of a fellow bridge club member. This very short extract from the trial's transcript clearly established his innocence before both judge and jury. )
Prosecutor : Did you, Dr. John, on the night of Thursday March 19th enter into a short discussion with the 86 year old Andy Blewett, who was widely known to be struggling with his health.
Dr. J : Yes...
P: And did he approach you for some medical advice ?
Dr.J : Yes....
P : And were you aware that his medical problem related to his physical condition as opposed to his state of mind ?
Dr. J : Yes.....but there are many occasions where one's troubled state of mind can have a huge detrimental effect on one's physical health .
P : Yes....I am aware of all that......but here was a man with a serious medical problem, who was so depressed about that it he came to you for advice. Unfortunately, he clearly wide open to any suggestions that you thought could remedy or alleviate his condition. And as one witness who will later testify, you simply told him " Best you get yourself a hot mamma...... please be cheerful ".
At which point he set off in his car to the red light districts of Doncaster......only to be found in the early hours of the morning, slumped on the back seat of his toyota, half undressed, with a smile on his face.......having obviously died on the job from a sudden and massive heart attack.
Dr. J : " No.....no......I never said such a thing......because you need to know that this witness of yours has an acute hearing problem. You see ... what I actually said to him that night was : " Bet you've got yourself a heart murmur...... please be careful..."
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