City high flyer wins £2.6m damages

A City high flyer severely brain damaged after simple throat surgery went wrong won £2.6million damages in the High Court today after an 11-year legal battle by her husband. Christine Darley-Jones had a routine 10-minute operation for a persistent cough but suffered a severe reaction to the anaesthetic and was left "little more than a vegetable".

Her devoted 76-yearold husband Tony said of the anaesthetist who treated her: "It would have been kinder if he had killed us both."

Although consultant anaesthetist Dr Stanley Ling - accused of a catalogue of errors - agreed to pay her 72.5 per cent of her total claim, he still refuses to admit any wrongdoing and today's settlement was made without any admission of liability.

Mrs Darley-Jones, a £65,000-a-year consultant at KPMG, was 45 and set to go freelance with earnings of ?100,000. But in March 1994, after being bothered by a cough, she booked into the private St Anthony's Hospital. North Cheam, Surrey.

She should have been home that day but her brain was starved of oxygen and she "died" for 38 minutes.

Mr Darley-Jones, a former butler, said of today's settlement: "No amount of money could compensate for what we have lost.

"She cannot walk, or talk, or feed herself."

Mr Darley- Jones, who has been married for 33 years, spent thousands in legal fees. He said: "The money will be invested for her future care."