The former GP of missing organs victim Norman Palmer has insisted she did not deliberately stay away from an inquest into his death.

Monica Hoefert, who is facing a potential lawsuit from the 57-year-old's family, said she was unaware that the hearing to determine how he died was taking place in January until a friend informed her.

Her lawyer in Bermuda, David Kessaram, told The Royal Gazette in a statement: "Dr. Hoefert wishes to dispel the suggestion that she deliberately stayed away from the inquest. This is not true.

"She has nothing to hide regarding the care she provided to the deceased before his death and has no fear of any threats of legal action against her for the treatment and advice she gave to the deceased."

Mr. Palmer died in the Emergency Room at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital last April after getting into breathing difficulties at his home in Paget. Many of his body parts were found to be missing after his body was flown to the UK for cremation.

Coroner Khamisi Tokunbo ruled last week that Mr. Palmer died due to natural causes contributed to by self-neglect — a verdict the family plans to challenge in court.

Mr. Palmer's family claims Dr. Hoefert did not do enough to get him an urgent appointment with a throat specialist in the week before he died.

Mr. Tokunbo noted in his report that Dr. Hoefert, who used to work in St. George's but is now in Cayman, did not take part in the inquest even though she could have done so.

He concluded that the GP was not guilty of medical neglect because Mr. Palmer was not dependent upon her.

Mr. Kessaram said his client provided a statement to the Coroner and the family's lawyer on the second day of the inquest — January 16 this year — when she became aware that the proceedings had begun.

"It described her involvement in the medical care of the deceased in the days before his death and was consistent with the absence of any fault on her part in treating and advising the deceased," said Mr. Kessaram.

He said the physician regretted that the statement was not introduced into evidence at the inquest. This newspaper asked for a copy but Mr. Kessaram said Dr. Hoefert did not wish to release it.

Sergeant Adrian Cook, in his report to the Coroner on Mr. Palmer's death dated October 20 last year, wrote: "Dr. Hoefert at this stage has declined to make a formal submission in light of the fact that the family has threatened legal action against her."

He said she had made a statement to the Medical Protection Society, which defends physicians in such matters, and was considering asking them to release it but had not done so yet.

Mr. Palmer and his wife Kathleen, 59, of Leafy Way, moved to Bermuda from Somerset in England and had permanent residency here. He ran his own excavating business.