A SCOTS-trained Army doctor who examined an innocent Iraqi beaten to death by British soldiers has faced medical watchdogs accused of a cover-up.

Dr Derek Keilloh said he only spotted dried blood around the nose of Baha Mousa after he was arrested by soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Queen's Lancashire Regiment (1 QLR) in an operation against insurgents.

Mr Mousa, 26, was hooded, handcuffed and beaten before he died 36 hours after being taken to the detention centre at the Army headquarters in the southern Iraq city of Basra.

The father-of-two suffered 93 separate injuries, including fractured ribs and a broken nose.

Dr Keilloh, 37, supervised a failed resuscitation attempt.

Another medic said: "Look at the state of him", the tribunal heard, after Mr Mousa was rushed to the medical post, but the doctor – at the time a captain and regimental medical officer of the battalion – said he did not see the victim's catalogue of injuries.

Dr Keilloh, who graduated from Aberdeen University, and had lived in the city, practises as a GP in North Yorkshire.

He is appearing before the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, a new arm of the General Medical Council (GMC) dealing with misconduct allegations.

Rebecca Poulet, QC, said the medic failed to examine Mr Mousa, check the condition of other detainees or notify senior officers about the mistreatment.

Instead, she said, four times under oath in interview by military police, at court martials and at a public inquiry, Dr Keilloh said he did not see the injuries.

Mrs Poulet said: "The events span just about three days, but the doctor's subsequent and more recent conduct is also criticised for his repeated failure to describe this incident with the openness and honesty that is expected of a doctor."

The tribunal heard Dr Keilloh was then 28 and new to his post, having been with the QLR at Basra for eight weeks. He took over the medical team of the battalion at their headquarters.

Operation Salerno was launched by the QLR against Saddam loyalists in the city and, on September 14, 2003, Mr Mousa and other detainees were brought in for questioning. They were checked and none reported injuries before detention.

As the doctor was about to leave the post for the night, he was summoned to the detention area. Mrs Poulet said: "He was told it was an emergency."

The tribunal heard Ahmad Matairi, also detained, said Mr Mousa shouted: "I'm going to die. Why do you do this? I do not support Saddam." Mrs Poulet added: "After that he never heard him speak."

When Dr Keilloh got to the area he found Mr Mousa lying on his back with soldiers around him and was told the detainee had "fallen and collapsed". There was no pulse and Mr Mousa was not breathing.

He was stretchered to the medical post, where Dr Keilloh and his team tried for half an hour to resuscitate him before Mr Mousa was declared dead, about 36 hours after initially being held by soldiers.

At least two members of the medical team saw bruising and injuries. Mr Mousa was covered in bruises all over his body and the injuries would be obviously visible, Mrs Poulet said.

She added: "It is the case of the GMC, at least some of these injuries caused during his period in detention must have been apparent to Dr Keilloh.

An inquiry criticised the corporate failure by the Ministry of Defence and the "lack of moral courage to report abuse" within the QLR. It named 19 soldiers who assaulted Mr Mousa and other detainees, and said others, including several officers, must have known what was happening.

Dr Keilloh also faces charges from the tribunal that he failed to conduct an adequate examination of Mr Mousa's body after death and failed to notify a superior officer of the circumstances of the death.

He faces similar claims relating to two other detainees who were injured.

His account of those three examinations through witness statements given at the time, and maintained in interview under caution, at a court martial and at the public inquiry, are said to be "untrue".

Dr Keilloh denies misconduct. The hearing in Manchester is scheduled to last four weeks.