Euthanasia trial for French pair

The pair say they wanted to end the patient's suffering

A doctor and a nurse have gone on trial in southern France accused of poisoning a terminally ill cancer patient.

Doctor Laurence Tramois, 34, admitted prescribing a fatal dose of potassium chloride which killed Paulette Druais, 65. She was dying of pancreatic cancer.

Nurse Chantal Chanel, 40, is accused of administering the lethal injection in August 2003 at a hospital in Saint-Astier, southwestern France.

Dr Tramois said she had acted to "preserve the dignity" of Mrs Druais.

Under French law the pair could face a jail sentence of 30 years if found guilty. The verdict is expected on Friday.

More than 2,000 health professionals signed a petition last week in support of the pair, calling for a change in the law to allow active euthanasia.

The doctor and nurse have been supported by Druais's family throughout the case, the French news agency AFP reports.

Dr Tramois is the sister of Druais's daughter-in-law.

Supporters formed a human chain outside the courthouse in Perigueux to press the case for the right to die.

A senior hospital staff member had reported the injection to the hospital's director, who had then contacted the police, AFP reports.

A French law adopted in 2005 allows families to request that life-support equipment for a terminally ill patient be switched off. But doctors are not allowed to take action to end a patient's life.