A DOCTOR struck off the medical register after being found guilty of misconduct over the death of an Iraqi detainee insists he can "hold his head up high".

Derek Keilloh, who worked at Mayford House Surgery, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, was banned from practising medicine following a 47-day Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing which ended last week.

The tribunal heard Dr Keilloh supervised a failed resuscitation attempt to save the life of hotel receptionist Baha Mousa, beaten by soldiers after his arrest as a suspected insurgent in Basra in 2003.

The former Queen’s Lancashire Regiment captain and medical officer had claimed while giving mouth-to-mouth and CPR he had only seen dried blood around nose of Mr Mousa, 26, who had suffered 93 separate injuries.

The panel heard at the time of Mr Mousa’s death, Mr Keilloh was eight weeks into the job, was inexperienced and inadequately-trained and had been given little support in a chaotic setting.

But they ruled he must have seen the injuries and had a duty to act over the incident, which was later condemned by Prime Minister David Cameron as “appalling”.

The MPTS said Mr Keilloh, a married father-of-two, did not do enough to protect other detainees from mistreatment, breaking a fundamental principle of the medical profession.

Despite the decision, Mr Keilloh, whose fight was backed by family, patients and workmates, said in a statement: "Although I will no longer be able to practise as a GP at the present time I am relieved the legal dealings are now over.

"I have maintained my innocence throughout and I can hold my head up high in the knowledge that I have done nothing wrong and that I have the full support of family, friends, patients, colleagues and all who know me."

Mr Keilloh's family have said he was "naive but not negligent" and maintained he did not know that torture was happening.

Mr Keilloh, a married father-of-two, has until mid January to appeal against the decision. He has not so far revealed whether he plans to do so.