MEDICO LEGAL EXPERT WITNESS OPINION

Dr. Malcolm VandenBurg offers a specialised medico legal expert witness service based upon his expertise in therapeutics, pharmaceutical medicine, pharmacology, general medicine and psychiatry.

His ability to critically analyse all aspects of an instruction, coupled with his research and data acquisition skills results in a highly professional well referenced opinion written to the standards of a regulatory submission to a drug licensing authority.

He has been instructed in both criminal and civil proceedings for both defence and prosecution as well as claimant and defendant.

His clients include the Criminal Prosecution Service, Police Authorities and many private solicitors.

Complex medical negligence cases involving prescribed medicines are a speciality.

His opinion is sought when a person's behaviour, actions, emotions or bodily feelings may be due to a prescribed medicine or an illegal substance.

Recent topics include:

Did the prescribed medication of my client cause them to shoplift?
Was my client Mens Rae taking into account their recent multiple drug abuse?
Could the witness's memory have been impaired due to LSD intoxication?
Was my client's behaviour compatible with their drink being spiked?
Was my client's epilepsy affected by the prescription of an antidepressant?
Are the Cocaine levels in my client's urine compatible with his drink being spiked?
Could my client's erratic driving be due to drug induced automatism?
Was the behaviour of the murder victim influenced by their prescribed medicine and illegal drugs?

Dr VandenBurg provides the court with practical and academic opinion as an expert witness in matters involving prescribed medication and illegal substances.

These reports are based on his experience as a pharmaceutical expert witness at the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the Federal Drug Administration in the US as well as his considerable experience with illegal substances while working for Release.

Dr VandenBurg has been instructed in the UK by many defence lawyers and barristers as well as the Criminal Prosecution Service, the Police Investigation Units and the Police Federation and the British Army.

Reports are to a regulatory standard and are fully referenced.

The following documents are read, if available, including:

All witness statements.
Medical notes from accident and emergency units if applicable.
Hospital notes if the defendant has been admitted.
Closed circuit television if available
Records made by Forensic Medical Examiners.
The defendant’s proof of evidence.
Counsel’s written advice (if available).
A case summary (if available).
Custody records.
GP records.
Correspondence between the GP and other medical services such as hospitals, mental health trusts and drug agencies.
Unused bundle.

In cases including medicinal products, Dr VandenBurg refers to:

Standard text books.
The Summary of Product Characteristics, which is a document written by the manufacturer and approved by the MHRA (the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency).
The Physician’s Desk Reference. The PDR is a document written by the manufacturers in conjunction with the Federal Drugs Administration in the US and is referred to as product labelling.
Martindale. Martindale is published by the British Pharmaceutical Society and is the standard text to which all doctors should refer.
Other text books as appropriate.
Reports of adverse events to the MHRA (the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency).
In appropriate cases, the individual medical reports to the MHRA are sourced.
The product licence holder is contacted to search their Worldwide Safety Database and ask for any literature on file.
Dr VandenBurg also performs his own literature searches at the Library of The National Institute of Health through their search engine PubMed.

In matters involving illegal substances Dr VandenBurg refers to:

His extensive knowledge and practical experience formed in clinical practice and as a medical advisor to Release, the drug assistance organisation.
Standard text books.
Martindale. Martindale is published by the British Pharmaceutical Society and is the standard text to which all doctors should refer.
Other text books as appropriate.
Dr VandenBurg also performs his own literature searches at the Library of The National Institute of Health through their search engine PubMed.
His extensive publications library and literature searches.
Contact with Drugscope for their current information

To give a general medical opinion Dr VandenBurg uses his considerable experience of general internal medicine gained at St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London Hospital

Dr VandenBurg has had training in:

Respiratory medicine
Gastro intestinal medicine
Sexual health
Rheumatology
Respiratory medicine
Neurology

Specialist training in:

General medicine
Cardiology
Nephrology.

Terms & Conditions

Invoices payable within 30 days of submission. If not paid within 60 days Bank of England base rate interest plus 3% will be charged. Invoices outstanding after 90 days will be charged Bank of England base rate interest plus 5%.
Quotes exclude:
- any meetings between Dr VandenBurg and any of the interested parties
- couriers as needed
- received faxes at 25p per page
- other literature
- obtaining original copies of literate from the RSM or the British Library
- phone calls in excess of 5 minutes initiated by yourselves which are charged in 5 minute blocks at £10 per five minutes
- VAT at the applicable rate.
All instructions when warned to attend court must be in writing and served on both my fax machines (020 7435 2672 and 020 8440 8445) and my emails and .
All cancellations for warnings must be sent as above.
If the warning is cancelled up to one week prior, there is no cost.
If cancellation is between seven days and four days prior, charge will be one quarter f daily cost.
If cancellation is 3 or 2 days prior charge will be half daily cost.
If cancellation one day prior, or on day of warning charge will be the full daily fee.
Travel is charged at the same rate as the hourly rate.
When warned for court there will be a fee of 20% of the report fee for re-reading the papers prior to attendance of court.