Indian 'doctor' convicted for death of child in Florida

An unlicensed doctor, who claimed he received medical training in India, was found guilty after being accused of misdiagnosing an 11-year-old English tourist who died of juvenile diabetes in Orlando, Florida.

An Orange county circuit jury deliberated for more than four hours Thursday before convicting Amrish Kumar H Patel of culpable negligence, a second-degree misdemeanour with a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail, and practicing medicine without a license, a third-degree felony with a maximum penalty of five years in jail. Earlier in the day, Judge Jay Paul Cohen threw out a third-degree murder charge, citing insufficient evidence.

Attorneys said it was unlikely Patel would face prison time when he is sentenced on May 22. Patel, who is free on bond pending sentencing, could have spent 15 years in prison with a manslaughter conviction.

"I'm as pleased as I could be,'' said Chaney Mason, Patel's attorney. Patel, 31, and his family refused to comment on the verdict.

Prosecutor Dorothy Sedgewick said her office would look into whether other patients were misdiagnosed by Patel. She said Patel treated as many as 80 tourists.

"The jury found that he was not legally practicing medicine and that he was negligent,'' she said.

The judge told jurors that to find Patel guilty of manslaughter, they must have believed he acted recklessly and without regard to human life.

Prosecutors said Patel was part of a scam that offered incompetent medical treatment to sick tourists at their hotel rooms. Two others, William and Marlein Villafanas, have been charged but no trial date has been set.

The girl, from south Yorkshire, England, came to Orlando to visit Walt Disney World with her grandmother, sister and a family friend. On the flight over, she became sick and vomited.

The girl's family called On-Call Medical Services, a firm that promised to make house calls to tourists for a $ 125 fee, after finding a referral card in their hotel room.

Patel, who was not licensed to practice medicine in Florida but said he received medical training in India, diagnosed her with a sore throat and recommended a prescription of penicillin, prosecutors said. The next afternoon, the girl stopped breathing and was rushed to a local hospital, where she died.