Beale murder trial: Court hears deceased boy (10) likely had anxiety, didn't need surgery

JOHANNESBURG - Joburg’s High Court has heard that the cause of a 10-year-old boy’s recurrent vomiting treated by murder-accused paediatric surgeon Peter Beale was likely anxiety.

Beale tried to treat the boy’s symptoms through surgery that turned fatal.

He faces three counts of murder and two counts of fraud in connection with the deaths of three children he operated on.

Beale is accused of "recklessly and fraudulently undertaking unnecessary paediatric surgeries” in order to claw back money he lost on a tanked investment.

Tuesday marks the second day of the trial.

The court has ordered that neither the identities of the children whom Beale is accused of murdering, nor any of the witnesses in this matter be publicly disclosed.

But one of the children was a 10-year-old boy presenting with recurrent vomiting. His parents said Beale allegedly misrepresented that he had a condition called intestinal metaplasia that required a surgical procedure.

This while a previous biopsy had not indicated this.

The boy died following the procedure, due to complications.

On Tuesday, the State’s first witness - also a paediatric surgeon - has given evidence that the child in question’s symptoms were likely due to stress or anxiety.

The witness added that the boy should have been referred to a child psychologist or psychiatrist and not for surgery.

Beale, for his part, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.