On 24 May 2010, the GMC panel found Wakefield guilty of serious professional misconduct on four counts of dishonesty and 12 involving the abuse of developmentally challenged children, and ordered that he be struck off the medical register.[93] John Walker-Smith was also found guilty of serious professional misconduct and struck off the medical register, but was exonerated in 2012 after successfully appealing to the High Court, because the GMC panel had failed to decide whether Walker-Smith actually thought he was doing research in the guise of clinical investigation and treatment.[94] Simon Murch was found not guilty.[93]