Dr Godfrey Nyamugunduru has apologised for discharging a ten-year-old boy with meningitis

A top doctor has apologised to the mother of 10-year-old boy who died from meningitis having been sent home from hospital.

Dr Godfrey Nyamugunduru, a consultant paediatrician, said he was sorry if William Cressey had been discharged against his mother's wishes.

Cheryl Cressey had pleaded with staff at Darlington Memorial Hospital to treat her son for meningitis. She had taken him to the hospital on the night of February 27 2005 on the advice of her GP.

William had been unwell for a few days and his condition had deteriorated with him complaining of severe headaches and neck pain. But doctors failed to diagnose that the schoolboy had the deadly brain condition until it was too late - despite warnings from his mother.

They initially thought he was suffering from a viral infection and sent him home after 24 hours observation. A short time after he got home to Hurworth in Darlington, he deteriorated, and Mrs Cressey took him back to the hospital.

Hours later, on the morning of March 1, William suffered a huge seizure and did not regain consciousness. He was transferred to Newcastle General Hospital and his life support machine was switched off later that day.

On Tuesday Mrs Cressey told the inquest at Newcastle Civic Centre that she pleaded with doctors and nurses to treat her son for meningitis because she was convinced he had it.

"I kept going back and asking for somebody to look at him, but nobody would come," she told the hearing. "They rolled their eyes at me, they tutted at me, they turned their backs on me."

Dr Nyamugunduru, who was on duty the night William was first admitted, said he examined him that night and again at 7am the following morning because he wanted to rule out meningitis.

Mr Mitford asked Dr Nyamugunduru about medical charts which showed that no medical observations had been recorded. Dr Nyamugunduru said he made "independent judgment" and William showed no symptoms of meningitis or septicaemia.