THE doctor who failed to spot Baby Peter's broken back has fled the country at risk of suicide, a tribunal heard.

Dr Sabah Al Zayyat was due to appear before a panel at the General Medical Council to investigate allegations of professional misconduct this morning.

But less than an hour before the hearing was to start her husband phoned her lawyer Mary O'Rourke to say she had left the country.

A report handed to the General Medical Council said: "The pressure on her has been such that her mental health has completely broken down and the possibility of suicide is a very real one."

The findings came following a medical examination conducted by a consultant psychiatrist Dr Adrienne Reveley.

Dr Al Zayyat is accused of "failing to carry out an adequate examination of, or to arrange further investigations in relation to a child when she saw him", despite being aware that Baby Peter was on Haringey Council's at-risk register.

She is also accused of failing to investigate the explanation offered for Peter's injuries by his mother Tracey Connelly, now serving jail time for causing his death after subjecting him to months of abuse.

The tribunal will also consider allegations that Dr Al Zayyat applied for a job in Ireland despite being suspended from practising by the General Medical Council in November.

She also failed to notify her prospective employer about the investigation.

If found guilty, the doctor, who trained in Pakistan, faces being struck off.

The tribunal has now adjourned until Wednesday morning to give an independent medical expert time to examine two reports detailing Dr Al Zayyat's mental health.