Further heartache for family as inquest into man’s death eight years ago is adjourned

Heywood’s Phoenix Centre

A grieving family experienced further heartache on Monday (1 October) as an inquest into a loved one’s death eight years ago was adjourned by the coroner.

Allan Porter died at his home in Heywood in 2010, aged just 32. His death was witnessed by his partner, Amanda Stephens, who was pregnant when he died.

Allan’s family has always disputed the post-mortem results, given by pathologist Doctor Khalid Ahmed as a heart attack.

Last month, inquests for 26 people – including Allan – were put on hold after a review into the work of Doctor Khalid Ahmed found some reports had an ‘incorrect’ cause of death given.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/122115/public-inquiry-could-take-place-over-postmortem-tests

Allan’s inquest was dramatically halted on Monday (1 October) after Dr Ahmed’s legal team is understood to have requested presiding coroner Joanne Kearsley recuse herself from carrying out the inquests as she may be called to give evidence to the General Medical Council about Dr Ahmed’s fitness to practice.

Dr Ahmed, who worked as a consultant histopathologist at the Royal Oldham Hospital, had conducted more than 1,300 post-mortems on behalf of the Manchester North Coroner’s Office between 2007 and 2017.

Professor Simon Kim Suvarna, a consultant histopathologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, examined some of Dr Ahmed’s post-mortem reports, finding some of them to be ‘inadequate’ and ‘incorrect’.

A police investigation is ongoing following a referral by the coroner and Dr Ahmed was dismissed from his post in August.