Surgeon's mistake

A surgeon mistakenly removed the healthy part of a stomach and intestines of a cancer victim, the General Medical Council heard yesterday.

James Gough was supposed to have been carrying out a routine operation on the colon of Robert Hodgin, 75, at Bolton General Hospital on 14 July last year, it was claimed. Rosalind Foster, Council barrister, said the botched operation was performed by Mr Gough just two weeks after he started work at the hospital under the supervision of a consultant.

The committee found Mr Gough guilty of serious professional misconduct and ordered that his name be removed from the medical register. He has 28 days to appeal.