A SOUTHAMPTON boy has been awarded £1.4 million after he was left disabled when his mum was allegedly prescribed large doses of a drug while pregnant.

His out-of-court payout was won after a city law firm claimed there were inconsistencies between hand-written and computer records of the drug prescribed to his mother.

The woman, who does not wish to be identified and suffers from epilepsy, claimed she was prescribed double the dose of anti-epileptic drug- Epilim, during her pregnancy.

Now aged six, her son is severely physically disabled and has learning disabilities.

The mother claimed to have taken a daily dose of three grams of Epilim during her pregnancy with him.

But, in her first two pregnancies she said she had taken approximately half as much.

The woman's solicitors, Southampton based Leonard and Swain, obtained a court order to bring in a computer expert to examine these alleged discrepancies.

Her lawyer Graeme Swain said that the woman was later treated at the city's Princess Anne Hospital where medics should have noticed her condition.

He said: "The main thrust of the claim in relation to her third child was the fact that prior to and during the early stages of the third pregnancy, doctors prescribed a dosage of an anti-epileptic drug (Epilim) which was excessive."

The settlement was made on behalf of the Dr Sankar Pal and Dr Narsink Desai,(corr) Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust and the Southampton and South West Hampshire Health Authority.

Dr Pal, 62, and a GP since 1976 is still practising at Six Dials surgery, in St Mary's Road, Southampton.Dr Desai retired in 1997.

The mother of the boy said: "They are professional people who are supposed to act in a professional way.

"They thought they could get away with it, but they have not.

"It has been a strain for us, our family and our marriage."

She added: "The money cannot change what happened to my son, but it will help him in years to come.

"Now that it's over after three years of this case, we want to be left in peace."

Dr Pal told the Daily Echo: "Whatever has happened I have no knowledge.

"We have not accepted or denied anything.

"We were computer illiterate in those days, we didn't know how that thing(computer) worked."

A statement from the health authority and hospitals NHS Trust said: "Southampton and South West Hampshire Health Authority and Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust were among four defendants, who together agreed an out of Court settlement of £1.4 million in August 2000 without any finding of liability in the case of a Southampton boy suffering multiple disabilities since birth.

"The Court has approved the settlement and it is hoped that the money will help him and his family in some way to provide for his future well being."