Richard Wells: "Dr Moor says the majority of GPs did precisely what he did"

Dr Moor, 52, of Stamfordham, Northumberland, has denied the murder of retired ambulanceman George Liddell, who he was treating at the home of Mr Liddell's daughter in Newcastle.

Dr Moor was arrested by police after speaking out on euthanasia and publicly claiming to have helped end patient's lives. His comments followed a controversial article on euthanasia written in the Sunday Times by another doctor.

Rachel Chapman, head of communications for the NHS Executive's Northern and Yorkshire region, told the jury that she spoke to Dr Moor by telephone on the day an article on euthanasia appeared in The Sunday Times.

She said Moor had told her: "I probably dealt with about 10 a year and have been doing so for the last 30 years. In terms of the last week I have had two patients.

"They were people that were ready to go and their relatives were ready for them to go."

The prosecution alleges that Dr Moor deliberately injected Mr Liddell, who was suffering from cancer, with a massive amount of diamorphine.

Mr James Goss QC, prosecuting, told the jury as he opened the case yesterday: "This is not a trial about the merits or de-merits of euthanasia, it is a straightforward alleged case of a doctor deliberately ending the life of a patient."

Patient was very sick

But Mr Anthony Arlidge QC, defending, told the jury: "Mr Liddell appeared to Dr Moor to be terminally ill. He was a very sick man.

"There was a time he was screaming out in agony.

"A doctor treating someone who is terminally ill is walking a tightrope. If he gives a high dose there's a possibility the patient could die.

"Dr Moor did not set out deliberately to kill Mr Liddell, he was at all times trying to do the best for his patient as he saw it.

"He was trying to ease the suffering of someone very, very close to death.

"The Crown accepts that Dr Moor was not a wicked man and that he was caring and the question for you the jury is was this caring doctor who tended patients for many years turned into a murderer?

"Our case is that he was not."

Media interview

The first witness to give evidence was journalist Rachel Ellis, who was health correspondent with the Press Association when she interviewed Dr Moor about his views on the Sunday Times article which appeared the day after Mr Liddell's death.

The article was by Dr Michael Irwin, a former United Nations medical director. In it he claimed to have taken part in physician assisted suicide.

Miss Ellis told the court that Dr Moor said he had seen the Sunday Times ariticle and then read to her an article on euthanasia which he had prepared for publication in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle later that week.

"I was surprised and clearly shocked about what he had said.

"I asked him if he was happy for these comments to be published in a story.

"I also explained that in the Irwin article it said that there was a possibility of a police investigation and asked him if he wanted to go ahead, he said he did."

The court then heard direct quotes from Dr Moor included in the story in which he said: "This week I helped two patients on the way to a pain-free release from their painful agony and suffering.