Robert Seabrook QC and Sarah Lambert represented the widow of Christopher Goodhead who died from rectal cancer in 2009. He visited his GP in 2005 complaining of bleeding and it is alleged that his GP, Dr Islam, failed to carry out a sufficiently thorough investigation and caused a fatal delay in diagnosis.

The defence claim that even with earlier diagnosis and treatment, he would still have died on exactly the same day – or not significantly later.

Compensation in the case has been agreed at 」1,250,000 – but only if Mr Goodhead’s widow, proves that her husband would have survived and lived but for the alleged negligence.