Anaesthetist, Dr Peter Mulrooney, chairman of the senior staff committee, a body which represents the interests of consultants, says he can no longer stomach working in an environment of intimidation and fear.

The 45-year-old from Southam says the investigation into allegations of harassment against cardiolo-gist Dr Mattu is unsound and that disciplinary processes have been invented to deal with the complaint.

He also claims inquiries into patient deaths because of overcrowding on wards which were raised publicly by Dr Mattu shortly before his suspension were never properly completed.

In a wide ranging attack on the management of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, which runs Walsgrave, Dr Mulrooney said: "I became tired of working in an environment where there is a real feeling of fear where you put one step wrong and you are for it.

"There are certainly a group of consultants who feel that Dr Mattu's suspension is intended to be an example to all.

"I would not hold this management up as a model. They had a real opportunity to be a new brush but that has not happened."

He said he had a catalogue of complaints regarding discrepancies in Dr Mattu's case and the issues surrounding it.

"I believe Dr Mattu has been treated abominably. I believe there has been a concerted campaign by some senior managers to get rid of him.

"I was present at some of the incidents from which allegations later arose but I was not interviewed for eight months."

He added serious concerns over patient care, raised by Dr Mattu before his suspension were not acted upon and may have contributed to the desire to oust him.

"When Dr Mattu stated there had been deaths due to having five patients in bays meant for four, no action was taken.

"Dr Mattu and the other person who cosigned the clinical incident form after witnessing this distressing incident were not even spoken to in the subsequent inquiry.

"I got hold of the details of the two deaths and passed them to management but now they say they have not had the information."

Dr Mulrooney, who has taken a job in Perth, Australia, said his enthusiasm for working at the hospital had soured in recent years and though he was sorry to be leaving colleagues behind he felt it was time to move on.

Dr Mattu was suspended in February last year after a junior colleague complained of being bullied.

There has been no progress on the matter since a panel convened by the trust decided there was a case to answer for further investigation.

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