Parents of daughter who refused chemotherapy warned over their behaviour in court

Sky News

a day ago

The parents of a woman who refused chemotherapy following a cancer diagnosis have been warned about their conduct in court during the inquest into her death.
Cambridge graduate Paloma Shemirani, 23, collapsed on 19 July 2004 and died five days later on 24 July at Royal Sussex County Hospital, after earlier declining treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She was diagnosed with cancer in autumn 2023.
Her mother, Kay "Kate" Shemirani, a well-known conspiracy theorist online, and her father, Dr Faramarz Shemirani, who is "sympathetic" to some of her views, blame medical professionals for their daughter's death.
On Tuesday afternoon, Coroner Catherine Wood, presiding over the inquest at Kent and Medway Coroner's Court in Maidstone, left the court due to the parents' behaviour.
The inquest, initially set to finish on Wednesday, has been extended, because presenting evidence and questioning witnesses had taken longer than expected.
On Tuesday, Mrs Shemirani, who was struck off as a nurse in 2021 for spreading dangerous COVID-19 misinformation, was cross-examined by Dr Shemirani.
Questioning broke down when Dr Shemirani, who is understood to have a PhD in computational fluid dynamics, tried to ask his ex-wife's opinion of medical evidence which she would then try to answer, despite warnings from the coroner.
"Mrs Shemirani, I've told you not to speak, I'll find you in contempt if you keep on speaking now," the coroner said.
"Confine (yourself) to asking questions of this witness as a witness of fact," she told Dr Shemirani.
As Dr Shemirani argued back via video-link, the coroner said: "Dr Shemirani, challenge me by judicial review later" before trying to move on.
"Of course I will, of course I will," he said.
Later, Dr Shemirani attempted once again to raise questions that the coroner had already deemed irrelevant.
"I'm going to rise for a few minutes because I'm finding it incredibly difficult to keep you on track," said Ms Wood.
Dr Shemirani continued to talk until the coroner shouted: "Dr Shemirani, listen".
"Your behaviour has been bordering on contemptuous to the court - when I make a ruling on something you cannot come back," she added.
Mrs Shemirani also accused osteopath Nick Gosset of lying under oath earlier in the inquest.
Mr Gosset treated Miss Shemirani the day she collapsed and said she had appeared to be in the "last stages of a very difficult disease".
He told the court that during his examination, he felt lumps extending from her right shoulder up to her neck, which he recognised as lymphoid masses, adding that in his 43 years of practice, he had "never seen anything like it".
Mr Gosset told the court: "It was obvious to me that I was not the right person to be helping her, normally you see a patient like that, you would refer her (to a GP).
"Any referral was refused - when I suggested that the proper avenue of approach was through a normal, medical channel she dismissed it."
Mrs Shemirani said "his statement under oath is completely opposed with the truth" and has argued her daughter was healthy the day she collapsed.