PARENTS who lost children in the Bristol heart scandal have breathed a sigh of relief as disgraced surgeon Janarda Dhasmana lost his unfair dismissal bid.

Melksham mother Marie Edwards, 33, lost her five-month-old baby, Jazmine, to heart surgeon Dhasmana nine years ago. Miss Edwards is now fighting for a memorial in memory of all the children who died in the heart scandal at Bristol Royal Infirmary while under the care of two surgeons, Mr Dhasmana and James Wisheart.

She has a list of 285 parents who lost their children.

Dhasmana, 60, was dismissed from his post in September 1998 over the high death rate of children undergoing cardiac surgery between 1988 and 1995.

Employers United Bristol Healthcare Trust (UBHT), which runs the BRI, sacked the surgeon after the General Medical Council found him guilty of serious professional misconduct.

His licence to operate on children and adults was reinstated in June after a ruling by the GMC's professional misconduct committee.

Dhasmana claimed the Trust had turned him into a scapegoat for the baby heart affair and he began an unfair dismissal case last month.

He said the Trust became embroiled in "lurid" publicity after parents learnt the truth about their children's fate and bosses failed to judge his case objectively.

During the three-day tribunal last month, UBHT's chief executive, Hugh Ross, said Mr Dhasmana had been sacked because he had lost the "trust and confidence of his colleagues".

The Trust did not comment on the outcome of Dhasmana's unfair dismissal bid.

Miss Edwards said she cannot believe the surgeon was allowed to bid for his job back.

She said: "I feel justice has been done. It would have been awful for him to get money out of this whole affair. I did not think he would try and get his job back but he did. I wasn't expecting him to be allowed to operate on adults and children again but he was. I have no idea what else he has up his sleeve.

"He has a wealth of experience in the cardiac field which should be put to good use but he should not be allowed to operate on a living person again."