Radiographer kills himself after botching hospital op

Matthew Crabtree, 31, from Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, was found hanging in a room at the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital just one week after the death of patient Kathleen Wise.

An earlier inquest into Mrs Wise's death on November 9 last year heard she suffered a cardiac arrest and died after undergoing a routine barium enema procedure at the hospital.

The previous hearing at Cleethorpes Town Hall was told that the radiographer who carried out the procedure, which involves passing dye into the bowel, had incorrectly inserted the tube.

A pathologist said it was believed that barium had entered Mrs Wise's blood stream, resulting in the cardiac arrest.

The inquest heard that the radiographer involved wrote a note after Mrs Wise's death, which said: "But my actions have led to a patient dying, due to my incompetency."

Today, at the inquest into Mr Crabtree's death at Cleethorpes Town Hall, Coroner Paul Kelly said: "Matthew's team at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital was involved in a serious untoward incident on November 9 of last year.

"Despite support from close, caring friends and professional colleagues, he was overwhelmed by the grievous consequences of that serious untoward incident and it is plain, from the notes that he has left, that he felt the only way of resolving the problems he had in his mind was to end his life."

The coroner continued: "I can conclude only that the deceased killed himself."