GARDA MARTIN DORNEY of Waterfall, Ballincollig, Co Cork, who was misdiagnosed by his GP while suffering from cancer, has passed away.

Supt Dorney was misdiagnosed after seeking the advice of his GP, Dr Pat Lee, about a mole on his right thigh in August 2003. After the mole was removed, Lee told Dorney that a biopsy report had indicated the mole had been benign.

Last year, Lee was brought before a Fitness to Practise Committee after it was discovered that he had not properly read the biopsy report and had failed to tell Dorney that further surgery would be necessary. The panel heard that subsequent to Dr Lee’s failure to recommend further surgery, which would have provided a 95 per cent chance of survival, Dorney had developed terminal cancer.

During the hearing Lee admitted that, following his return from holiday, he had “skimmed” Dorney’s biopsy report. He said that he did not discover his mistake until six years later when he checked his notes, after his patient had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

The Medical Council suspended Lee from practice for three months.