A doctor yesterday admitted to making a “gross error” of judgment when he issued a medical certificate excusing a woman from attending court when he had not examined her and only met her once.
The admission was made by the doctor as he testified in the case against Alice Mary Regan, 34, who stands accused of breaching bail in a case where she is pleading not guilty to attacking police.
Taking the witness stand, the doctor was questioned about the certificate he issued excusing Ms Regan on two separate dates.
He said he had relied on what Ms Regan had said and the documents she had provided without checking their veracity and had only met her once besides exchanging e-mails and telephone calls.
When a patient tells you they threw up five times, you believe them
Yet, he still issued a medical certificate, which he admitted to the court was a “gross error” on his part.
When questioned on the seriousness of such a situation, he said that “when a patient tells you they threw up five times, you believe them”, adding there was an element of trust when dealing with patients. Ms Regan, from Mosta but living in Gozo, claimed she was suffering seizures but the doctor had never witnessed it and never treated her for them. Yet, Ms Regan seemed to have serious health problems, he said.
Alongside her boyfriend at the time, Ms Regan was charged over a drunken incident. The boyfriend had punched a policeman in Paceville while Ms Regan allegedly also struck an officer as she violently resisted arrest in August last year.
He was found guilty of the charges and received a conditional discharge for one year while the case against Ms Regan continues.
During yesterday’s sitting, police inspector Luke Bonello told Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit that Ms Regan had not signed the bail book and also failed to let him know that she had moved to Gozo. She had even been placed on the wanted list after she seemingly disappeared.
Taking the witness stand, Ms Regan’s friend, David Pollina, who offered her a place to live in Gozo, also admitted he had written a certificate purporting to be a medical one when he was not a medical professional.
The letter excused her for signing the bail book for a month. In justifying his actions, Mr Pollina said he had done it temporarily until a doctor could see her.
Mr Pollina said she was admitted to hospital several times and suffered seizures. She was in no condition to walk let alone to sign a bail book.
He told the court that he had phoned the police to tell them she was moving to Gozo and had given them the address but they told him she would need to go in person, which she did.
At this point, inspector Bonello presented a record which is a log of every phone call made regarding her bail, the medical certificates presented and notes in which there was no record of the accused or Mr Pollina contacting the police.
The case continues.