A former British army medic was found guilty on Saturday of failing to protect Iraqi detainees and acting dishonestly after the death of Iraqi prisoner Baha Mousa in 2003.
Mousa, 26, a hotel receptionist who was arrested by British soldiers in Basra, in southern Iraq, died after suffering 93 injuries while in army custody.
On Saturday, a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service ruled that, despite seeing the injuries first-hand when attempting to resuscitate the detainee, Dr Derek Keilloh, an army doctor with the 1st Battalion, Queen’s Lancashire Regiment, failed to report the injuries or examine other prisoners to see if they were suffering the same treatment.
Keilloh maintained that there were no visible injuries other than dried blood around Mousa's nose, when he treated the father of two before confirming his death.
Mousa had reportedly been hooded with a sandbag for nearly 24 hours and suffered injuries including fractured ribs and a broken nose during the final 36 hours of his life.
The tribunal ruled that Kelliloh was guilty of "misleading and dishonest" conduct when, at courts martials and a subsequent public inquiry, he maintained under oath he saw no injuries to Mr Mousa's body.
The panel ruled that while the injuries to Baha Mousa and others were the responsibility of British soldiers, there were "clearly failings by others with responsibility towards the detainees to have safeguarded their welfare."
The tribunal has now retired to decide whether Keilloh's behaviour amounts to misconduct, and if so, what the penalty should be.
