A BRITISH surgeon who was shot dead in South Africa has been described as “exceptional” and a “rising star”.

Kar Hao Teoh, 40, was a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow.

Police believed he was driving in Cape Town last Thursday when he took a wrong turn towards groups of protesters.

It was thought Mr Teoh lived with family in Bishop’s Stortford.

A spokesman for the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust said: “He was a well-respected member of the team, valued colleague and friend to many across the hospital as well as in regional, national and international trauma and orthopaedic networks.”

A spokesman at the British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society described him as a “rising star” of the profession and added: “He was remembered by colleagues past and present as a kind, gentle person; a dedicated and talented surgeon.”

Bedri Karaismailoglu, a surgeon from Istanbul, said he was a close friend of Mr Teoh’s having met at a European Foot and Ankle Society congress in Lyon, France, in 2021.

“He possessed an exceptional mind and was a friend with whom spending time was always a pleasure,” said Mr Karaismailoglu.

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