A doctor has sent an outstanding medical bill for a patient to the man's mother - more than five years after his death.

Elizabeth Astwood, mother of Steven Mansfield (Peppy) Dill, who died in prison aged 41 due to lack of medical care in December 2001, received the invoice for $270 on Tuesday.

It was sent from physician Dr. Gordon Black, who has a surgery at Woodbourne Hall, Gorham Road, Hamilton, and asked for payment of the balance outstanding on her son's account.

The invoice came following a $325,000 compensation pay-out by the Government to Mr. Dill's family.

That money actually went to his long-term partner Lee-Ann Samuels Dill but Mrs. Astwood, 62, said she was now concerned that more unpaid bills of her son's would be sent her way.

"Suppose he owes other people and other people read that and start sending bills to me," she said. "I couldn't believe it when I opened it. I said: 'I do not owe Dr. Black anything'.

"That's my doctor too, it's our family doctor. I'm not paying nothing. Once we start they'll all be looking for me to pay."

Dr. Black said: "Steven just never paid his bills and that's been outstanding for years. There was this settlement with the family and I felt it was not unreasonable that any bills that he had outstanding, they should pay."

He added: "I wouldn't make an issue of it. I have known her (Mrs. Astwood) for a long time. I wouldn't pursue it but I reckoned that if a settlement had been made by Government they should know that there is that bill outstanding. I would write it off."