Young woman's death after seeing doctors 'unavoidable'

A sheriff has ruled that nothing could have been done to avoid the death of a young woman who died a day after being seen by a doctor.

Victoria Pickup, 25, of Kirkpatrick Durham, took ill after returning from a skiing holiday in 2007.

A fatal accident inquiry had heard concerns about her treatment at a Castle Douglas medical centre.

However, Sheriff Donald Corke ruled no "reasonable precautions" could have prevented her death.

Ms Pickup died in Dumfries Infirmary in February 2007 from a rare form of pneumonia.

During a hearing at Kirkcudbright Sheriff Court her family said they found it "difficult to understand" how doctors at the Gardenhill Practice had missed her symptoms.

The sheriff said he found the evidence from the GPs "credible and reliable".

He added: "There were no reasonable precautions which could have been taken whereby the death might have been avoided and there were no defects in the system of working which contributed to the death."