Paediatrician defends his actions

Dr Southall has had a controversial career

Controversial paediatrician Dr David Southall has defended himself, saying the first priority of anyone in child protection had to be the child.

Dr Southall was found guilty of serious professional misconduct and struck off the medical register this week.

The General Medical Council ruled he abused his role by accusing a mother of drugging and murdering her son.

In his first interview since the case, he told the BBC child protection was hard and did mean parents suffered.

But he said it was important for paediatricians and social workers to put the child first in such cases.

I do not like to see parents suffer, but we have to put that child's interest first Dr David Southall

The GMC said Dr Southall had a "deep-seated attitudinal problem".

It is the second time in three years Dr Southall has been found guilty of serious professional misconduct.

In 2004 Dr Southall was suspended from child protection work over his role in the case of Sally Clark, wrongly jailed over the death of her two sons.

Dr Southall accused Mrs Clark's husband Steve of murdering the two boys on the basis of a television interview.

He denied he had acted in that case based solely on the TV interview.

And he also said he had sympathy for parents, but that experts had to put children first.

Suffer

"I think there is suffering where a paediatrician raises a child protection issue.

"I do not like to see parents suffer, but we have to put that child's interest first.

"It is a very very difficult area. Parents do not tell you they are doing it."

He also said there was a campaign against doctors who were trying to prevent parents from hurting their offspring and passing it off as illness.

"With the help of the media there has been out there a vindictive campaign which has made hate figures out of the paediatricians involved in this kind of work."

And Dr Southall criticised the GMC, saying the panel in his case which included lay members and an orthopaedic surgeon and did not have the expertise to judge child protection work.

He also said he hoped to return to medicine and was considering an appeal.