A consultant oncologist denied writing a letter to a GP saying a patient's cancer had spread, Teesside crown court heard today.

Dr Peter Hardman was giving evidence in the trial of Dr Howard Martin, 71, who practised in Newton Aycliffe, and is accused of murdering three patients.

The court heard claims that Dr Martin told the family of Harry Gittins, 74, he had received a letter which said the cancer had spread.

Dr Martin, who lives in Penmaenmawr, Conwy, north Wales, denies all charges.

He is also accused of murdering Frank Moss, 59, of Eldon, near Bishop Auckland, and Stanley Weldon, 74, from Kimberley Street, Coundon Grange, near Bishop Auckland, with morphine overdose injections.

Dr Hardman, of the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, denied writing such a letter and said he had checked medical records to see if such a letter existed, without success.

He told the court he was pleased with the way his patient's tumour had responded to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

He said that given time it might have disappeared, saying the result had been "highly satisfactory".

Dr Hardman said he thought Mr Gittins had a chest infection on 21 January last year when the GP visited and gave him three morphine injections.

He told the jury that if Mr Gittins had been dehydrated, given antibiotics and physiotherapy, he might have rallied.

The court earlier heard from the son of Mr Gittins who told the jury Dr Martin visited his parents' home in Newton Aycliffe on 21 January 2004.

Later that evening, when Dr Martin was making the second of three house visits that day, Paul Gittins, his sister Jillian Coates and mother Eileen discussed their father's treatment in the living room while he lay in his bedroom.

Mr Gittins said in court today: "My sister heard a noise and was startled.

"She said 'That must be dad getting up out of bed'."

Asked how the doctor responded, Mr Gittins said: "(He said) 'It won't be your dad because he won't be getting out of bed again'."

According to Mr Gittins, the doctor later said: "Your father wanted to die with dignity and respect."

Mr Gittins added: "By then I had begun to go into shock.

"I was horrified, I had seen my dad... five days before... and he was so happy, so well, so jolly and then to be told a few days later that he was going to die."

The trial continues.