A GP accused of supplying a suicidal pensioner with sleeping tablets to enable her to take her own life told patients that he was in favour of euthanasia, a General Medical Council (GMC) hearing was told yesterday.

Iain Kerr told police that his membership of the Euthanasia Society gave patients “the choice of discussing end-of-life matters”.

The 61-year-old GP from Glasgow is also accused of inappropriate conduct after prescribing sleeping tablets to five other patients.

Dr Kerr was interviewed by Strathclyde Police three years ago, but detectives decided not to press charges. Euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide are illegal under British law.

At a fitness-to-practise hearing in Manchester, excerpts of Dr Kerr’s police interview were read out by Suzanne Goddard, QC, for the GMC.

Dr Kerr told police: “If people expressed anxiety about how the end would be, whether it would be painful or distressing, I would tell them I was a member of the Euthanasia Society, or had been, and leave it at that. If they decided that’s good news, fine; and if they ignored it I would say that’s fine as well.”

Dr Kerr told police that he had never administered an injection to help someone to die. Strathclyde Police found that there was “insufficient evidence” and no action was taken.

He told detectives that during his annual appraisal in May 2004 he admitted that he was “in favour of assisted suicide and had some experience of it in the practice”. He also said in his appraisal that he had prescribed sleeping tablets - sodium amytal - and would continue to prescribe them for the purpose of patients ending their own lives under the right circumstances. The Committee on Safety of Medicines states that sodium amytal tablets should be used to treat “severe and intractable insomnia” only.

Dr Kerr, whose surgery was in Glasgow, told police about his dealings with the suicidal pensioner, referred to as Patient A. He said: “She said, ‘Give me something that I can take if things get too bad’, and I said yes.”

Dr Kerr referred Patient A to Alexander Cooper, a psychiatrist. His referral letter stated: “Some years ago she discussed suicide with me and I’ve been in the habit of supplying her with barbiturate tablets which would assist her in her endeavour. However, I was interviewed by police and I told her and she disposed of them.”

Dr Cooper told the GMC: “It appeared to me to be an open admission of involvement in assisted suicide.” He said he was surprised that the pensioner, who had enjoyed playing bridge, killed herself by taking an overdose on December 12, 2005, a month after their consultation. It was her second suicide attempt in two weeks.

Dr Kerr prescribed temazepam to the 87-year-old two days before her failed suicide attempt. A postmortem examination showed that she died after ingesting temazepam, cyclizine and co-proxamol.

Dr Kerr is still practising in Glasgow, though under conditions.

The hearing continues.

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