Tearful daughter gives evidence at doctor's murder trial

Mother-of-two Alison Moss, the daughter of lung cancer sufferer Frank Moss, told a court she watched GP Dr Howard Martin, of Newton Aycliffe, inject her father with a drug as he slept.

Martin is accused of murdering Mr Moss, 59, and two other men with morphine overdoses after he decided it was their 'time to die', a court heard.

The 71-year-old doctor was accused after police exhumed three bodies.

Miss Moss told Middlesbrough Crown Court how her father, of New Row, Eldon, near Bishop Auckland, had been living on his own for ten years and how his health had deteriorated in his final weeks.

But she said the family hoped he would recover following a course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

On March 13 Alison called at her father's home after work with her children Vicky and Daniel and partner Edward Stables.

She said: "I was at work during the day I went round to visit him he was due to be delivered an electric bed and seemed quite excited when I went round.

"I saw him coming in carrying his doctors bag.

"When he came into the room where my father was my family and I left. "Dr Martin had gone in to see my dad but was not in any longer than five minutes.

"He said he'd given my dad an injection because his breathing was heavy and he was stressed.

"I though this was a bit odd because I'd just been having a conversation with him he seemed excited about the new bed.

"I got a bit upset and he told me not to go back into the house because I'd upset my father."

Dr Martin told Miss Moss he had a meeting and would call back later that night, the jury heard.

He told Miss Moss he did not think her father would live until the morning.

"He said when he died I should not leave him in the position he was in because funeral directors would not thank us if rigor mortis set in," a tearful Miss Moss said.

"He said to make sure his head was propped up and his arms were by his side.

"He said he would come back at ten o'clock to see how my father was doing and if needed he would give him another injection to last him through the night.

"I went into the kitchen and calmed myself down then went back in to see my father.

"He was not talking but he kept smiling at me as I sat on his bed. "I kept looking over at him. I remember he had his oxygen mask around his neck.

"He was very quiet and his eyes were starting to drift. His eyes would close and then open.

"I was worried because he had false teeth and when he started to drift off I was frightened he might swallow them.

"One of his carers who had called round managed to get them out with her fingers.

"He actually spoke then. He said 'can you leave me f***ing alone I'm trying to sleep'.

"Those were his last words.

"Then he went to sleep altogether and did not open his eyes again."

At 10pm Dr Martin returned to the house.

Miss Moss stayed in the room with her father while Dr Martin examined her father.

She was surprised when he removed a syringe containing an unidentified substance from his doctors' bag.

"I was surprised that the syringe was already made up. Normally when someone is given an injection you see them fill the needle from the bottle.

"He said he was going to give my father a top up injection which I thought was strange because he had not woken up from the first one.

"But I thought with him being the doctor he knew best and I did not ask any questions."

The court heard Mr Moss died at around 4.30am the following morning.

She told the court she was grateful to Dr Martin for abiding by her fathers' last wishes of wanting to die at home, and said she sent to him a thankyou card following her father's death.

She read out the card in court.

It said: "Dr Martin, thankyou for helping me and giving my father his last wishes."

The GP is accused of murdering Mr Moss, on March 14 2003; Stanley Weldon, 74, of Kimberley Street, Coundon grange, Bishop Auckland, five days later; and Harry Gittins, of Newton Aycliffe, on January 22, 2004.

The trial continues.