Boy with brain damage awarded pounds 1.25m

A BOY who suffered severe brain damage through lack of care during his birth was yesterday awarded pounds 1.25m by a court - one of the highest pay-outs of its kind.

James Tweedie, seven, who suffers from cerebral palsy, will have to be cared for all his life after complications developed during his breech birth. His parents, of Shatterford, Hereford and Worcester, have called for an independent panel to assess medical negligence cases and relieve parents of the stress of legal action.

Dudley Health Authority made the settlement after admitting liability for the accident at Wordsley Hospital, West Midlands. The High Court in Birmingham heard that it happened when Pamela Tweedie, 33, was admitted to hospital in June 1986. James's father, Richard, 36, said: 'We are delighted with the settlement . . . We have found the whole process of taking on the health authority very traumatic.'

He believes his legal bills - paid for by the health authority - will top pounds 100,000, and said many parents were unable to mount legal challenges because of the costs.

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