Open verdict on death of GP patient

Oct 31 2007 Western Mail

A CORONER yesterday recorded an open verdict on a Welsh doctor’s patient whose body was exhumed as part of a murder investigation two years ago.

Pensioner William Kerr was a patient of GP Howard Martin who was subsequently cleared in court of killing a number of other elderly patients by giving them morphine overdoses.

The 84-year-old’s death formed part of the police investigation but was never the subject of any criminal charges.

Dr Martin, who was then a GP in the Newton Aycliffe area of County Durham, was charged with the murder of three other patients and stood trial in December 2005 where he was cleared by a jury.

An inquest in County Durham yesterday heard that because of the decomposed state of the body, which was exhumed two years after Mr Kerr’s death in 2003, it was impossible to determine an exact cause of death.

Dr Martin, 73, of Beach Road, Penmaenmawr, Gwynedd, yesterday told the inquest how he had classed Mr Kerr, a cancer sufferer, as a friend as well as a patient.

The former Army medic and police doctor yesterday read from a statement he had given to police during the 2005 investigation but did not add any other details.

He told the inquest how Mr Kerr was a “proud, religious man who did not like to visit doctors but put his faith in God”.

The inquest heard how Mr Kerr, of Newton Aycliffe, had lost two stone through cancer and his condition was deteriorating when Dr Martin was contacted by relatives.

He told how he prescribed a morphine-based medicine, known as a Brompton Cocktail, to relieve his pain but stressed that he never intended the dose to be fatal.

He said, “He preferred that I cared for him personally rather than hand him over to strangers. “Anticipating his imminent death I prayed with him the night before. I accept that my treatment methods may be considered old-fashioned but I am getting on in years and set in my ways.

“I care very much about my patients and the treatment was solely to alleviate his pain and distress. At no time did I have any intention of hastening or causing his death.”

The post-mortem examination subsequently concluded that death was “unascertained”.

Durham Coroner Andrew Tweddle said he could not be certain what caused Mr Kerr’s death and recorded an open verdict. Mr Tweddle stressed that the inquest was not aimed at pointing the finger of blame at anyone. He added, “This is an inquiry into the circumstances of Mr Kerr’s death and is in no way designed to make any suggestion of criminal or civil liability on the part of anyone, not least of all Dr Martin.”Dr Martin left the hearing with his legal team and refused to comment on the verdict before being driven off in a taxi.