A TEENAGER who went onto kill was displaying no outward signs of mental illness when he was discharged from a mental health ward, the General Medical Council has been told.

Dr Mark Dziobon felt that Mark Harrington, the 18-year-old who later shot childhood friend Anthony Rigby in the back of the head in January 2002, was "intellectually gifted", the council's fitness to practice panel heard.

He was giving evidence at a disciplinary hearing into allegations of serious professional misconduct against consultant psychiatrist Dr Shashank Chattree, who treated Harrington at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn.

Dr Chattree denies gross misconduct arising out of his decision to discharge Harrington and allegations that he failed to properly monitor and manage him in the community.

In October 2001, Dr Chattree had authorised Harrington's release from a mental health section order back to his Blackburn home.

Before his release Harrington had physically attacked a nurse, apparently taken delight in the suffering of fellow patients, and told medics that he would refuse to take anti-psychotic medicine if allowed home, the hearing in Manchester has been told.

But Dr Dziobon, questioned by Dr Chattree's counsel Jane Mischon, said that a multi-discipilinary mental health team was behind the decision to formally discharge Harrington.

"If anyone had expressed concern then Dr Chattree would have listened to them," he told the hearing.

Earlier Dr Dziobon had described the consultant pyschiatrist as "very cautious" and also praised the time he had taken to explain how procedures in mental health care worked.

Dr Dziobon was then a senior house officer in the pyschiatric department and now works as a GP in the Blackburn area.

Harrington had displayed "childish" behaviour towards staff and patients - including bringing a video of the serial killer film Hannibal onto the ward.

But Dziobon believed this may have been affected by the fact he was intellectually bright and was reacting against his detention on the ward.

Harrington is referred to at the hearing as Patient A.

He was detained indefinitely in a secure mental unit in September 2002 after pleading gulilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Anthony was shot dead at his home in Swift Close, Larkhill, Blackburn, two days before his 19th birthday.

The hearing has been told that Dr Chattree's conduct was liable to put members of the public at risk, was not in the best interests of patients and ran contrary to the clinical evidence available.

(Proceeding)