David Moor

[3] The case would have gone unnoticed, but when The Sunday Times published an article by Michael Irwin on euthanasia, journalist Rachel Ellis asked Moor his opinion on the subject.

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.

[3] 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.

[5] Although found not guilty, friends said the stress of the trial took its toll on Moor's health, leading to serious illness, alcohol problems, a divorce and a drink-driving conviction.

[6] Michael Wilks, chairman of the British Medical Association'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.