A MAN who suffered brain damage after a delay when he was a baby in diagnosing he had a chronic bowel condition was awarded £1.3m in an out-of-court settlement yesterday.

Brian Conlon, 20, from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, was admitted to Sunderland General Hospital when he was eight months old with a history of vomiting, constipation and loss of appetite, the High Court, in Newcastle, was told.

However, doctors failed to diagnose his bowel condition until the following day - Christmas Day 1980 - after which he was transferred to another hospital for surgery.

His family, who have been left to care for Mr Conlon throughout his life, claimed brain damage and epilepsy, which he also developed, could have been avoided if doctors had acted sooner.

The family had sued Sunderland Health Authority for breach of duty of care, which it had admitted an early stage.

The court heard yesterday that the delay in settling the claim followed disagreement between the parties over the degree to which the delays in the initial diagnosis had caused Mr Conlon's subsequent problems.

Jeremy Freedman, for the family, said: "A diagnosis should have been made considerably earlier, and had it been done so, treatment could have been properly instituted."

Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Christopher Holland wished Mr Conlon and his family, who were in court, "all the best for the future".

After the case, the family's solicitor, Richard Ebdon, said: ''It is a relief that it is all over. It will give him a chance to get on with a degree of security."

Kathleen Conlon, Mr Conlon's mother, thanked the family's legal team and said the money would help to pay for her son's care into later life.

The court heard how Mr Conlon's parents had cared for him since his condition developed.

Mr Freedman told the court: "They have looked after him for the past 20 years in an exemplary fashion.

"They are entitled to be recompensed for the enormous amount of care they have carried out.