A GRIEVING Dorset couple are waiting to hear whether criminal charges are to be brought over the death of their only daughter in hospital more than 26 years ago.

Joan and Derek Bye claim 12-year-old Helenor died in South Wales in 1978 as a result of a series of blunders that were covered up by the medical establishment.

The case has recently been reinvestigated by South Wales police and a file is now being considered by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Mr and Mrs Bye, who now live in Parkstone, Poole, allege that Helenor was misdiagnosed with epilepsy and prescribed a drug that caused serious - and ultimately fatal - side-effects.

The couple want the two hospitals that treated Helenor called to account and are demanding a second inquest into her death and a public inquiry into the way NHS paediatric services are run.

Through their campaign, Mr and Mrs Bye have become involved in several other cases where children have died as a result of alleged medical negligence.

"In 1978, we were a simple couple who lived for each other and for our family. We never thought of litigation - we just wanted to know why Helenor died," said retired social worker Mr Bye.

"We're not doctor-bashing. There are many good doctors within the health service, but the system allows rogue doctors to promoted and those that speak out to be demoted."

Mrs Bye said: "We have been absolutely appalled at the way families have been treated.

"We have yet to see the medical profession lift their heads above the parapet and say sorry to any parent.

"They are all hiding behind a conspiracy of silence and the power of clinical judgement, but they do make mistakes.

"In Helenor's case, there were 25 opportunities to save her life."

Mrs Bye added: "We have never had a chance to grieve. Every day we go to bed with it and we wake with it.

"My greatest grief of all is not Helenor's death, but the way she had to die in the hands of so-called professional people. We weren't there to protect her and that is the most torment."

A spokesman for the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, which operates the hospital where Helenor died, said: "We sympathise fully with the Bye family over their loss.

"However, the family's allegations against the trust have been independently investigated at various times over the years and no evidence found to question the care given here. We will continue to co-operate fully with any further investigations."

Bro Morgannwg NHS Trust, which runs the other hospital involved in Helenor's care, referred the Daily Echo to Det Supt Kevin O'Neill, of South Wales Police.

He said: "We carried out a very detailed investigation. A thorough and involved report has gone to the Crown Prosecution Service and we are awaiting a decision. This is quite clearly a tragic case."

Paul Jennings, a spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service in York, which specialises in complex medical cases, said: "The matter is under consideration. We now have a full file and one of my colleagues is reading it at the moment.

"The case will be considered in accordance with our code: whether there is evidence of a crime being committed and whether it is in the public interest for the case to be prosecuted."

First published: October 13