ABSTRACT
On 14 December 2005, Dr Howard Martin was acquitted of murdering three of his patients, thus ending the ‘eight weeks of hell on earth’ the 71-year-old GP reportedly endured throughout the trial (Wainwright 2005b: 8). Martin had allegedly administered overdoses of the opioid painkiller morphine to Frank Moss, 59, Harry Gittins and Stanley Weldon, both 74. The prosecution could fi nd no motive, but argued that the evidence demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the GP intended to kill, and in fact did kill, the three men.
