Peter Beale trial: Court hears how deceased child (3) was first put on life support

JOHANNESBURG - It’s been an emotional afternoon in the Joburg High Court, where a doctor who treated a three-year-old boy who died after paediatric surgeon Peter Beale operated on him has been testifying.

Beale’s fraud and murder trial related to the deaths of three children he operated on - continued on Wednesday with the State calling a new witness to the stand.

She cannot be publicly identified but she’s a paediatrician who treated the child in question after he started suffering complications following his surgery.

In the child in question’s case, Peter Beale’s accused of misrepresenting to his parents that he required what was in the end fatal surgery for Hirschsprung’s Disease when he didn't have it - and of not providing the necessary care after he went into distress following the procedure.

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According to the autopsy, the child suffered sepsis because of surgical complications and the current witness spent much of Wednesday going through a report she compiled from her notes, detailing efforts to save him.

Towards the end, when she was relaying to the court how after all efforts had failed and a decision was taken to take him off life support, the doctor teared up.

She fought back tears as she told the court how the family was given an opportunity to perform the last rites before all the various treatments he was receiving were eventually stopped, and the child certified deceased.

Proceedings have now wrapped up for the day and have been adjourned until Thursday morning, when the same witness will continue testifying.