Overview
- Senior counsel Jamie Dawson KC, speaking at a procedural hearing Thursday, said fire-safety failings at Waverley Gate would stop the public from attending and forced the April evidence sessions to be postponed.
- The team learned of compliance concerns after November’s opening statements, and Lord Weir decided in February that the risk to attendees was real.
- Dawson said the lack of a public explanation left former patients uninformed, anxious and suspicious.
- The Scottish government, which leases the suite, apologized through Alastair Duncan KC, said it is negotiating with the building’s new landlord, and outlined a fallback that could use the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry facilities.
- Context for the case: the inquiry is examining alleged harm to up to 200 patients by former Ninewells neurosurgeon Sam Eljamel, and it has been told NHS Tayside destroyed 40 theatre logbooks despite an earlier do-not-destroy notice.