THE wife of a man allegedly murdered by his GP told a court yesterday her husband lost consciousness and died after he was give three injections of morphine.

Eileen Gittins, who was married to Harry Gittins for 50 years, said Dr Howard Martin had told her the father-of-two's cancer had spread all over his body.

At Teesside Crown Court yesterday she said her husband had been diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus in October 2003 and had chemotherapy and radiotherapy for the condition.

The family believed the treatment had either shrunk the tumour or left him cancer-free.

Mrs Gittins told the jury that, on January 21 last year, she had been due to take her husband to hospital when Dr Martin, their family doctor of 20 years, arrived at their home in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, at about 8.30am.

She said: "I said he should be in hospital, I thought he was dehydrated. Dr Martin said 'I will look after him'. He said he did not need to be in hospital. Dr Martin told him 'You are my patient, I will look after you'.

"Dr Martin came in and took over. I was so pleased he was there because I had known him for so long and he had been fine with me."

Mrs Gittins said the doctor told her he would give her husband an injection to make him comfortable.

She told the jury the 74-year-old was alert and not in pain before Dr Martin administered the injection of morphine, but he quickly deteriorated.

The mother-of-two said: "His eyes dropped and the colour drained completely from his face. He went limp. I knew then there was something wrong.

"I could not believe it. I trusted him."

She said Dr Martin left but returned later in the day and gave Mr Gittins a second injection.

Mrs Gittins said: "He said he was riddled with cancer, it had spread all over. We said that was not what we had been told.

"He said he had received a letter from the hospital."

Mrs Gittins said her daughter, Gillian, demanded proof of the letter, but the doctor claimed it was on his laptop which he did not have with him.

She told the jury: "My daughter did not agree with what was happening. He said 'I am a doctor, I know'."

Mrs Gittins said her husband did not regain consciousness after the second injection and Dr Martin returned at midnight and injected him for a third time.

She said: "He never moved and his breathing was shallow. I knew then he was dying."

He died at 4.30am.

Dr Martin, of North Wales, denies murdering Mr Gittins, Stanley Weldon, 74, of Coundon Grange, and Frank Moss, 59, of Eldon, near Bishop Auckland.

The trial continues.