Blair and Hoon face serious questions over public shaming that led to suicide

BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair and Geoff Hoon were facing serious questions yesterday after Britain's leading suicide expert concluded that weapons expert David Kelly took his own life because he felt he had been "publicly disgraced."

Professor Keith Hawton, director for suicide research at Oxford University, said the outing by the Ministry of Defence and subsequent televised public grilling by the Foreign Affairs Committee of Dr Kelly were "anathema" to an intensely private man.

Loss of self-esteem as a result of his dismay at being exposed to the media contributed to the scientist's suicide, Prof Hawton concluded.