Father attacks disease payout

Donna died from the human form of mad cow disease

The father of a young woman who died from the human form of mad cow disease has described as "disgraceful" a UK Government compensation offer for his daughter.

Billy McIntyre said the offer insulted the memory of his daughter and vowed to challenge it through the courts.

Donna McIntyre, from Aberdeen, died at the age of 22 in August, after suffering for a year from the brain disease new variant Creutzfeld Jakob disease (vCJD).

In September the Department of Health set up a £55m fund to settle on a no-liability basis the claims of families affected by the disease - which has been linked to eating meat from cattle with BSE.

Billy McIntyre: "This money is an insult"

But Mr McIntyre has described the £155,000 compensation he was offered as an insult to Donna's memory and a complete disgrace.

He said the solicitor handling his claim would now investigate challenging the sum in court.

But legal sources have told BBC Scotland that the best sum in compensation achieved so far in court for a victim in Britain is £70,000.

Mr McIntyre said: "This money is an insult to myself and my family but, most importantly, to Donna and her memory.

"To be quite honest if it wasn't so serious it would be laughable.

"My solicitor had told me a few months ago that the government would be giving us an offer but we did not know how much it would be.

'More upfront'

"For what Donna went through, what I went through and what my family went through, it is a complete disgrace."

Donna, who worked as an office receptionist, died of vCJD 12 months after she was diagnosed with the illness.

Her 55-year-old father visited Donna in hospital every day, watching helplessly as her condition rapidly deteriorated.

Initially the illness affected her speech and short-term memory but as her health worsened she could do nothing for herself, requiring round-the-clock nursing care.

Mr McIntyre welcomed the findings of a report by the CJD surveillance unit in Edinburgh, claiming those in Scotland were twice as likely to develop CJD as those in England.

He said: "In my opinion food companies should be more upfront and I think we will have to work together to make sure organisations are open and honest and that we are not kept in the dark any longer."