Aus: Jury yet to decide on Jayant Patel's fate

The fate of Indian-origin surgeon Jayant Patel, dubbed as 'Dr Death', remained in suspense as the 12-member jury deciding his fate continued to weigh evidence for the sixth day before pronouncing its long-awaited verdict.

Patel, 60, has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of Gerry Kemps, 77, James Phillips, 46, and Mervyn Morris, 75, and causing grievous bodily harm to Ian Rodney Vowles, 62, on various dates between March 2003 and April 2005.

The jury had retired to consider their verdicts last Wednesday, after hearing the case for 14 weeks and examining evidence from over 75 witnesses, the six men and six women an ABC report said.

Prosecutors told Brisbane Supreme Court that Patel was criminally negligent when he performed two oesophagectomies and two bowel operations on four men at the Bundaberg Hospital.

Justice John Byrne reminded the jury of the Crown's case that Patel was a bad surgeon motivated by ego and suffering from a lack of insight about his limitations.

The prosecution said Patel's operations were well below the standard of a competent surgeon and Patel had ignored the hospital's limitations to care for his patients.

Justice Byrne also said Patel's lawyers had argued Patel possessed the necessary skills to operate and deal with post-operative complications.

He reminded the jury prosecutors of Patel ignoring surgical restrictions imposed on him by US medical authorities and launched into major operations at Bundaberg seven weeks after he arrived in 2003.