The text of this letter is reproduced below:
Mr Kenneth Clarke QC MP
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
9 November 2010
Open letter
Dear Mr Clarke
Forensic Pathologist's report into the death of Dr David Kelly
On the 22nd October 2010 you published the post mortem examination report and toxicology report relating to the death of Dr David Kelly.
Dr Hunt's post mortem examination report is dated 25 July 2003.
In his opening statement at the Hutton Inquiry Lord Hutton makes reference to the post mortem report: he states 'his post-mortem report dated 19th July has been sent to me by the coroner.' The 19th July is the day after Dr Kelly's body was found at Harrowdown Hill.
The record in Hansard for 5th March 2010 shows MP Norman Baker making a substantial statement in the House of Commons about the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr Kelly. He pointed out that the then Solitor-General appeared not to know that Dr Hunt changed his evidence in the run-up to the Inquiry.
Evidently the post mortem examination report dated 25th July 2003 and made public is not the only version of Dr Hunt's report and in fact is not the same one that Lord Hutton refers to in his opening statement at the Inquiry.
On your website in connection with the aforementioned published reports you state 'These reports have been published in the interests of maintaining public confidence in the inquiry into how Dr Kelly came by his death'.
There are clearly now doubts about why Dr Hunt would have made more than one report.
This is a formal request that any other version or versions of Dr Hunt's post mortem report are published in full.
I trust that this can be carried out expeditiously.
Yours faithfully
R B Spencer
Lord Hutton set out in his opening statement a 38 point chronological outline of events. The original July 19th post mortem report was noted at item number 37 in this list.
ReplyDeleteFrom the documents and the information given to me, the following outline of events can be seen and I now state that outline in very general terms without, at this stage, attempting a comprehensive account or any degree of precision.
The July 25th post mortem report makes mention of Alexander Allen's toxicology report, which itself is dated July 21st. Quite evidently these details could not have been contained in any post mortem report of July 19th.
Is it not likely that Nicholas Hunt wrote and issued an initial or provisional post mortem report on July 19th, and then amended this thereafter ("At the time of completing this report...") to take into consideration the additional toxicological details as subsequently supplied by Alexander Allen?
Andrew Simons suggestion is quite feasible.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the post mortem report that Lord Hutton refers to in his opening statement and then goes on to "refer to in greater detail" is important evidence. It was recorded as such by Lord Hutton and it was numbered by Thames Valley Police (TVP/1/059 to TVP/1/073) along with all sorts of other evidence for the enquiry.
Someone at the Ministry of Justice has clearly transferred these numbers onto another document. This has to come very close to perverting the course of justice.
I think the police should be informed.