THE family of a cancer patient who died after treatment he did not need is to get a £200,000 payout from Christie Hospital.

An out-of-court deal was accepted by Mr Brian Richardson's widow, Amanda, on Monday (Feb 12). Their son Thomas was only 10-months-old when his father died.

Mr Richardson, from Turf Street, Radcliffe was 35 when he died in July 1994 from a heart attack after a second dose of chemotherapy which turned out to be unnecessary.

Earlier that year he had a cancerous tumour removed at North Manchester General Hospital. Because of his age and a history of bowel cancer in his family, the chemotherapy was prescribed as a precaution.

After the first course he suffered chest pains, but despite this doctors decided to give him a second course at the same dosage.

It was an insurance against the cancer returning but a post mortem revealed that all traces had already been removed. The business analyst collapsed at Manchester's Christie Hospital in July 1994 as he phoned a friend for a lift home.

He had two heart attacks while staff tried to find him an intensive care bed. The fatal one came in an ambulance taking him to Stockport's Stepping Hill Hospital.

Mr Trevor Ward of solicitors firm Linder Myers, who represented the family, said: "The hospital failed to take sufficient notice of chest pains which Mr Richardson experienced, and reported after his first course."

Mrs Lloyd (37) and who she has since remarried, said: "We had only been married for four years. Thomas had been born prematurely and had all sorts of medical problems. Just as it seemed we were coming out of the woods Brian became ill."

While accepting the payment, which will be used to set up a trust fund for Thomas, now aged seven, she said she was unhappy that it had taken so long.

"The hardest thing was trying to make them admit they made a mistake. It's been so stressful and at times I wanted to give up. It was only visiting Brian's grave that kept me going.

A spokesman for the Christie Hospital NHS Trust said: "The Trust wishes to offer its condolences to Mr Richardson's family."

Since the tragedy Mrs Lloyd has found happiness with Mr Bob Lloyd, whom she married in 1997.

"He was Brian's best friend and best man at our wedding as well as being Thomas's godfather," said Mrs Lloyd, who now lives in Prestwich.