A disgraced Army doctor who was struck off over the death of a prisoner in Iraq has found a new job as a North Sea medic.
Derek Keilloh was banned from practising as a GP over his role in the cover-up after detainee Baha Mousa was brutally beaten by British soldiers.
But the Press and Journal can reveal that he is now working for oil giant Ensco as a medic on a rig off the north-east coast. He lists his main duties as attending and controlling major incidents, providing pre-hospital emergency care and providing health advice to all employers and contractors on site.
Last night, Mr Keilloh’s family said he was incredibly “valued and respected” in his new role and that the former Aberdeen Royal Infirmary doctor had undergone rigorous training to get his job.
His mother-in-law, Judith Nicholls, said the Aberdeen-born medic – who was awarded several honours during his Army career – was trying to rebuild his life after losing everything.
“At that time he was a young doctor put into a situation way beyond his experience,” she said.
“It was accepted by all concerned that Derek did everything possible to save his (Mr Mousa’s) life under severely difficult conditions and we continue to fight to clear his name.”
Mr Keilloh was just eight weeks into his job with the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment (QLR) when he was sent to Iraq.
Aged just 28, he took charge of the QLR medical team at its HQ in the former headquarters of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party in war-torn Basra City.
Insurgents had killed several QLR soldiers in the city and Operation Salerno was launched against Saddam loyalists.
Mr Mousa and other detainees were brought in for questioning after being arrested at the Ibn Al Haitham hotel in Basra early in the morning on September 14, 2003.
Mr Keilloh was summoned from his medical post at about 9.30pm the next day to go to the detention area after Mr Mousa had “fallen and collapsed”.
The hotel worker was declared dead at 10.05pm after Mr Keilloh and his team tried for half an hour to resuscitate him.
The young doctor was alleged to have said he only saw dried blood around Mr Mousa’s nose, but the Iraqi had in fact suffered 93 injuries, including fractured ribs and a broken nose following a brutal beating by British soldiers.
Mr Keilloh was found to have lied repeatedly to Army investigators about the Iraqi’s injuries and stuck to his story during subsequent courts martial and a £13million public inquiry.
Following a 47-day hearing in front of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service at the end of 2012, Mr Keilloh – who lived at Bieldside – was found guilty of a series of failures following the death.
The tribunal acknowledged that he was inadequately trained for the job and had been given little support in a chaotic setting, but ruled that he must have seen the injuries and had a duty, as a doctor, to act.
The panel questioned his honesty and “probity” after he lied throughout investigations and ruled that he did not do enough to protect other detainees from further mistreatment – breaking a “fundamental tenet” of his profession.
Prime Minister David Cameron said his actions had been “appalling”.
Despite the tribunal decision, Mr Keilloh, whose fight to clear his name is backed by family, patients and colleagues, remains defiant.
A spokesman for Ensco said: “In the UK, Ensco uses a third-party medical advisory firm to interview and assess medic applicants, who must have a current offshore medic certificate, which is required by the Health and Safety Executive.”
