A MOTHER whose son was caught up in the Alder Hey organ scandal today spoke of her dismay after it was revealed that staff had been cleared of any blame.

Wendy Bury spoke just days before she is due to mark the first anniversary of her sons Carl Michael Broderick's second funeral.

Wendy and her family held a poignant service for Carl at Immanuel Church a year ago this Friday, after being told several of his body parts had been kept by the hospital, which treated him for a hole in the heart condition in 1983.

He died at the hospital and Wendy found out last year that his heart, windpipe and oesophagus had been kept -- although medical staff have been unable to rule out the possibilty that more could have been kept.

Yesterday, Ian Cohen, the solicitor who represents Alder Hey Support Group Pity2 claimed all bar one of the '16 or 17' doctors and medical staff referred to chief medical officer Liam Donaldson and the General Medical Council in the wake of the inquiry into the scandal, published in January, had been cleared.

A General Medical Council spokeswoman said she was unable to comment on the claims and the Alder Hey NHS Trust said it had received no official notification of the decision.

The GMC inquiry was conducted in private, despite calls for public accountability.

Mr Cohen said: "Only one of all those doctors has been sent forward to the Professional Conduct Committee (of the General Medical Council). Without them being put before a formal committee at this screening stage, they have decided that there is no case to answer.

"When you consider the emotive language used by Alan Milburn (Health Secretary) at the time of the inquiry regarding issues of openness and honesty in the NHS, this is going to create an awful lot of anger."

Wendy, who is a member of Pity2 and has three children and lives in Union Road, Oswaldtwistle, said today: "If what Mr Cohen is saying is true and he wouldn't make something like this up, then it is appalling.

"I am numb, dumbfounded. What is to stop it from happening again?"

"So many families have been through so much agony and we had hoped that we could get some comfort from the fact someone would be made an example of to make sure it never happened again. I don't know if that will happen now. "

Carl was treated by Frenchman Jean-Marie Bouton. He is now too ill to be interviewed and much of blame for the organ-snatching has been passed on to Professor Dick Van Velzen, who stored body parts in several areas of the world.

Wendy added: "This Friday is the first anniversary of the second funeral we held after getting the parts back. We will never know if there are any more.

"It seems to be a complete cover-up. Nobody is going to be found responsible for what went on. To think that could be the case makes my mind go blank."