A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl who will never live beyond her teens due to the birth injuries she suffered at a Swindon hospital has been awarded more than £1.5m compensation.

Meghan Murtough has epilepsy and acute cerebral palsy, cannot swallow, and has to be fed via a stomach tube due to the mishandling of her mother's labour at Swindon's Princess Margaret Hospital in 1997.

The NHS made the payout to the youngster, who has major breathing problems and cannot speak, sit, or grasp things properly, at a High Court hearing in London yesterday.

But the most poignant aspect of her case is Meghan's drastically shortened life-expectancy, with medical experts saying that she is unlikely to live beyond the age of 15.

The family's QC, Andrew Spink, said it was a "matter of great tragedy" that Meghan was only likely to live for another eight years.

He told Mr Justice Holland that Meghan's parents, James and Cindy Murtough, had provided a truly amazing level of carefor their daughter.

He paid public tribute to both parents, who used to live in Rodbourne, Swindon, for their devotion.

Ben Collins, for the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust, conveyed the trust's very sincere apologies to Meghan and her family for the injuries.

Mr Spink said Meghan's injuries were of the most severe type, having left her profoundly physically disabled.

Meghan was born at the then PMH's maternity unit on June 19 1997, 26 hours after Mrs Murtough first went into labour, and 15 hours after she was admitted to the delivery suite.

The couple, who have two other children, were unavailable for comment yesterday.

But speaking to the Adver before launching a compensation claim in 2000, Mr Murtough said: "Nothing can fully compensate Meghan for what has happened to her."

Mr Justice Holland approved a settlement worth £1,571,107 after lawyers for the two sides finally resolved an outstanding issue concerning interest on the compensation figure.

Lyn Hill-Tout, chief executive of the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust, said: "The trust wishes to offer its sincere apologies to Meghan Murtough and her family for the injuries sustained as a result of the sub-optimal care provided at her birth in 1997.

"The trust wrote to Meghan's parents apologising for the distress suffered. We would now like to offer our best wishes for the future to Meghan and her family and very much hope that the damages will go some way towards continuing to provide Meghan with the best possible care.

"We cannot undo the events of 1997 but the lessons we have learned have led to improved care for other patients."

Ben Payne