A LABOUR MP has called for an inquiry into a “horrifying” chapati study using south Asian women in Coventry.
Chapatis laced with a radioactive substance were fed to 20 south Asian women in 1969 to study iron absorption.
Although the research was aimed at tracking down how iron was absorbed in south Asian women to study anaemia in the population, there were concerns that the participants were not sufficiently informed about the content of the food. It was also feared that adequate consent was not obtained from the women.
Taiwo Owatemi, the MP for Coventry North West, said she was “disturbed that a community was “targeted” for the research without them being able to give “informed consent.”
She said a researcher from the University of Warwick is seeking to identify the women.
“From what I understand from speaking with the researcher and reading the reports, it seems that consent was not sought nor proper information given to the women at the time they took part in the experiment,” she said, describing it as “horrifying”.
Owatemi said she was “appalled” that there was no follow-up morbidity study on the participants of the research to find out the long-term medical effects on them.
“This is in direct contrast to another research project that was undertaken on women in Caerphilly during the same period.”
She said she would call for a debate on the matter when parliament returns in September, followed by a full statutory inquiry into “how this was allowed to happen”.
The inquiry should also find out why the recommendation of a Medical Research Council report to identify the women was “never followed”, Owatemi said.
Labour MP calls for inquiry into ‘horrifying’ chapati study on south Asian women
Asian women in Coventry were fed chapatis laced with a radioactive substance in 1969 to study the absorption of iron
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)