The son of a haemophiliac who died after being given HIV has said health staff who covered up the infected blood scandal should be jailed. Dave Farry’s dad, John, contracted the deadly disease after he was treated with contaminated blood imported by the NHS in the early 1980s. The County Durham factory worker was one of over 30,000 people infected between the 1970s and 1990s, in a disaster described by public inquiry chairman Sir Brian Langstaff as a “calamity”.
On Monday, a damning report concluded the infected blood scandal “could largely have been avoided” and there was a “pervasive” cover-up to hide the truth. It found deliberate attempts were made to conceal the disaster, including evidence of Whitehall officials destroying documents, and patients were knowingly exposed to unacceptable risks of infection. Dave Farry (Image: Sarah Caldecott) Calling for the launch of a criminal inquiry, Dave Farry, a father-of-two, who lives in Ferryhill, said those responsible should be held accountable.
The 61-year-old said: “It beggars belief. People should be prosecuted for this, absolutely. “Decisions have consequences and if you have made decisions that cost people their lives and then tried to cover it up the consequences should be very high.
“Of course they should go to prison. People go to prison for telling lies. “But their actions have killed people and of course they should face the consequences.
” The 2,527-page report documents a “catalogue of failur.
