David Moor
Encyclopedia
Dr.
David Moor (born 1947) was a British
general practitioner
who was prosecuted in 1999 for the euthanasia
of a patient. He was found not guilty, but has admitted in a press interview to having helped up to 300 people to die. He was the first doctor in Britain to be tried solely for the mercy killing of a patient.
, Northumberland
, but retired just before his trial in 1999.
. An operation was done to remove part of his bowel, but there was still some cancerous tissue left in surrounding fatty tissue and the liver
. Liddell was sent home by the hospital to live with his daughter, and be treated by Moor and a team of nurses. The patient's condition deteriorated and he became depressed and appeared to be in significant pain. Moor prescribed 5 mg of diamorphine to be taken at intervals, but this had to be doubled when the pain got worse. It was agreed by his carers he was "terminally ill".
It was agreed to send Liddell to a hospice
. Moor set the diamorphine level at a rate of 30 mg per 24-hours by means of a syringe driver
. Liddell's breathing got worse and on 19 July 1997 Moor gave him an injection of diamorphine and chlorpromazine
. Within about 20 minutes Liddell was dead.
The case would have gone unnoticed, but when The Sunday Times
published an article by Michael Irwin
on euthanasia, a journalist Rachel Ellis asked Moor his opinion on the subject. Moor said that he had given many patients overdoses of diamorphine, a comment he repeated in an interview on television. In particular, his statement that "This week I helped two patients on the way to a pain-free release from their painful agony and suffering" and that he had perhaps helped 10 patients per year for 30 years attracted considerable media attention. One newspaper called Moor "Britain’s greatest serial killer
" and referred to him as "Doctor Death".
Crown Court
on 4 April 1999 and concluded on 11 May 1999. It was prosecuted by James Goss QC
and Moor was defended by Anthony Arlidge QC. One key turning point in the case was the exclusion of toxicological
evidence regarding the amount of diamorphine given, calling into question whether the final injection had in fact caused death.
The jury took 65 minutes to find Moor not-guilty. Mr Justice Hooper awarded the defence team only two-thirds of their costs, because Moor had brought the prosecution on himself by "very silly remarks to the press" and by lying to the NHS
and the police.
's ethics committee, said after the trial that guidelines for doctors were insufficiently clear: "We are no further along the road towards any change in the law on euthanasia [...] This case just tells us that doctors who take the law into their own hands, who intend to kill their patients, as it was originally thought that Dr Moor had, are likely to be prosecuted."
Broadcaster Ludovic Kennedy
said: "Dr Moor should never have been tried - the whole trial was a complete waste of time and money [...] He was only doing what hundreds and hundreds of doctors do in this country every year. The sooner the law is changed to allow doctors to legally help people on their way, the better."
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
David Moor (born 1947) was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
who was prosecuted in 1999 for the euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
of a patient. He was found not guilty, but has admitted in a press interview to having helped up to 300 people to die. He was the first doctor in Britain to be tried solely for the mercy killing of a patient.
Career
Moor worked as a GP in StamfordhamStamfordham
Stamfordham is a village in Northumberland. It is located about 5 miles to the west of Ponteland and 10 miles to the east of Hexham-External links:**...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, but retired just before his trial in 1999.
George Liddell
George Liddell was an 85-year-old ex-ambulance driver and a widower, who was suffering from cancer of the bowelColorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
. An operation was done to remove part of his bowel, but there was still some cancerous tissue left in surrounding fatty tissue and the liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
. Liddell was sent home by the hospital to live with his daughter, and be treated by Moor and a team of nurses. The patient's condition deteriorated and he became depressed and appeared to be in significant pain. Moor prescribed 5 mg of diamorphine to be taken at intervals, but this had to be doubled when the pain got worse. It was agreed by his carers he was "terminally ill".
It was agreed to send Liddell to a hospice
Hospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
. Moor set the diamorphine level at a rate of 30 mg per 24-hours by means of a syringe driver
Syringe driver
A syringe driver or syringe pump is a small infusion pump , used to gradually administer small amounts of fluid to a patient or for use in chemical and biomedical research....
. Liddell's breathing got worse and on 19 July 1997 Moor gave him an injection of diamorphine and chlorpromazine
Chlorpromazine
Chlorpromazine is a typical antipsychotic...
. Within about 20 minutes Liddell was dead.
The case would have gone unnoticed, but when The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
published an article by Michael Irwin
Michael Irwin
Michael Henry Knox Irwin is a retired GP and former medical director of the United Nations. He is a humanist and secularist activist and a campaigner for voluntary euthanasia.-Life:...
on euthanasia, a journalist Rachel Ellis asked Moor his opinion on the subject. Moor said that he had given many patients overdoses of diamorphine, a comment he repeated in an interview on television. In particular, his statement that "This week I helped two patients on the way to a pain-free release from their painful agony and suffering" and that he had perhaps helped 10 patients per year for 30 years attracted considerable media attention. One newspaper called Moor "Britain’s greatest serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
" and referred to him as "Doctor Death".
Trial
The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Hooper, took place at NewcastleNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
Crown Court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
on 4 April 1999 and concluded on 11 May 1999. It was prosecuted by James Goss QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
and Moor was defended by Anthony Arlidge QC. One key turning point in the case was the exclusion of toxicological
Toxicology
Toxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms...
evidence regarding the amount of diamorphine given, calling into question whether the final injection had in fact caused death.
The jury took 65 minutes to find Moor not-guilty. Mr Justice Hooper awarded the defence team only two-thirds of their costs, because Moor had brought the prosecution on himself by "very silly remarks to the press" and by lying to the NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
and the police.
Reaction
Dr Michael Wilks, chairman of the British Medical AssociationBritish Medical Association
The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
's ethics committee, said after the trial that guidelines for doctors were insufficiently clear: "We are no further along the road towards any change in the law on euthanasia [...] This case just tells us that doctors who take the law into their own hands, who intend to kill their patients, as it was originally thought that Dr Moor had, are likely to be prosecuted."
Broadcaster Ludovic Kennedy
Ludovic Kennedy
Sir Ludovic Henry Coverley Kennedy was a British journalist, broadcaster, humanist and author best known for re-examining cases such as the Lindbergh kidnapping and the murder convictions of Timothy Evans and Derek Bentley, and for his role in the abolition of the death penalty in the United...
said: "Dr Moor should never have been tried - the whole trial was a complete waste of time and money [...] He was only doing what hundreds and hundreds of doctors do in this country every year. The sooner the law is changed to allow doctors to legally help people on their way, the better."
See also
- Dr John Bodkin AdamsJohn Bodkin AdamsJohn Bodkin Adams was an Irish-born British general practitioner, convicted fraudster and suspected serial killer. Between the years 1946 and 1956, more than 160 of his patients died in suspicious circumstances. Of these, 132 left him money or items in their will. He was tried and acquitted for...
- British suspected serial killerSerial killerA serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
acquitted in 1957 of murdering an elderly patient. - Dr Leonard ArthurLeonard ArthurDr Leonard John Henry Arthur MB, BChir, MRCP, D Obst RCOG was a British doctor tried in 1981 for the attempted murder of John Pearson, a newborn child with Down's Syndrome. He was acquitted....
- British doctor acquitted in 1981 of murdering a Down's Syndrome baby - Dr Nigel CoxNigel Cox (doctor)Dr Nigel Leigh Cox is a British consultant rheumatologist and the only doctor ever to have been convicted in Britain for attempted euthanasia. In 1992 he was convicted of the attempted murder of patient Lillian Boyes, and received a suspended sentence.-Lillian Boyes:In 1991 Lillian Boyes, then 70,...
- British doctor convicted of attempted euthanasia in 1992