London:
A leading British surgeon hanged himself after he made a minor clinical error during an operation, a media report said Wednesday.
Alexander Reading, one of Britain's leading orthopaedic and trauma surgeons, was a 'perfectionist', his colleagues said.
Reading "couldn't live with what he'd done" after the patient was left in a bad state following the operation, the Daily Mail reported.
His body was found suspended in the garage of his home in the hamlet of Grafton Flyford, Worcestershire.
A colleague of Reading, a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: "There are some strong rumours circulating that Alex was plagued with guilt over a patient's care."
"It's not clear what the mistake was or what happened to the patient but it must have been serious for Alex to do what he did."
Reading, 45, was a 'driven' man who put himself under huge pressure to succeed and took his mistakes very seriously, despite his exemplary record, his neighbours said.
Last year, he was awarded a level six in the Clinical Excellence Awards Scheme, which recognises NHS (National Health Service) consultants who perform 'over and above' the standard expected for their role, the Mail said.