THE death of weapons inspector Dr David Kelly is a mystery that refuses to go away.

A team of doctors is continuing to press for a full Coroner’s Inquest into the circumstances of his death.

They include former trauma surgeon Dr David Halpin formerly of Canford Cliffs, who speaks about Dr Kelly in Bournemouth tonight.

The Daily Echo spoke to the grandfather of two beforehand to find out his views about the weapons inspector’s death.

Dr Halpin said: “As a surgeon I’m used to dealing with arteries. You come across them when you’re involved in dealing with road accidents and in orthopaedic operations and I know how arteries behave. I couldn’t accept this man had died from haemorrhage from the small ulnar artery. I couldn’t accept that a man with his scientific knowledge had chosen such an uncertain method of which to kill himself.”

It would have been “very, very difficult” for Dr Kelly to have used a pruning knife to cut through tendons and the ulnar artery, added Dr Halpin.

“Here we have a man who has chosen a knife – the worst knife for cutting. It takes some doing to cut a tendon. The artery tends to be hidden. The ulnar artery is not easily accessible,” he said.

Dr Halpin does not believe that Dr Kelly was killed just “because of the sexing up of Blair’s dossier”.

Dr Kelly was “a man of high intelligence” who had held a high profile role at Porton Down in Salisbury where they test chemical weapons, he said.

He might have been about to shed some light on the type of weapons that were used in Iraq added Dr Halpin.

“I feel it’s what Kelly probably knew about some of the weapons used in the bombing of Iraq,” he said.

Photographs of Ali Abbas which were never published in the mainstream media due to their shocking content show the boy’s arms had been incinerated.

Dr Halpin said: “There’s no explanation for incineration of the boy’s arms or the boy’s chest other than intense thermal radiation. It think it was caused by a thermonuclear device. It’s likely that Dr Kelly would have known what weapons were being used in the bombing and invasion of Iraq.

“I’m not saying that he was assassinated. I think it seems very likely.

“What we want is an inquest to find the truth. I am saying for several very good reasons it appears like he was assassinated.”

And what of the recent publication of the post-mortem report by the Ministry of Justice despite a previous annou-ncement it was to be kept secret for 70 years?

“It didn’t add anything to that which was dealt with during the Hutton Inquiry in my view,” he said.

And what can people do if they feel that justice has not been done to Dr Kelly?

“What they must do is to think about it and to listen to other experts, to what doctors are saying and if they feel as we do that the due process has been subverted they must add to the clamour and approach their MPs.

“I don’t believe in being told by Governments what has happened. It’s important to keep an open mind,” added Dr Halpin.

An Attorney General Office spokesperson, said: “The Attorney General recognises that a number of people have expressed concerns about Lord Hutton's conclusion that Dr Kelly took his own life.

“In accordance with the provisions of the Coroners Act 1988, he is considering whether there is evidence to support an application to the High Court for a new inquest."

Dr Halpin speaks during a meeting of the British Constitution Group tonight at 7pm at the Durley Dean Hotel.

Tickets are £5 on the door.