LAWYERS representing the family of a North-East airman killed when he was deliberately exposed to a deadly nerve agent have held preliminary compensation talks with the Government.

Consett-born serviceman Ronald Maddison died in 1953 at the MoD base at Porton Down, in Wiltshire.

The 20-year-old RAF mechanic thought he was volunteering for tests to find a cure for the common cold - but was instead exposed to a lethal dose of Sarin and, within seconds, died an agonising death, his body convulsing and foam coming from his mouth.

His death, at the height of the Cold War, was initially hushed up and his inquest, held in secret, recorded a verdict of misadventure.

However, following a campaign by his family and fellow veterans, Wiltshire Police reopened the case in 1999 and, in November, after hearing 60 days of evidence and 100 witnesses, a jury at a second inquest ruled that Mr Maddison had been unlawfully killed.

The MoD intends to challenge the finding through a judicial review, but Government minister Ivor Caplin said any compensation claim from the family would be "considered favourably".

Yesterday, solicitor Alan Care, who is representing the Maddison family and other ex-servicemen from the Porton Down Veterans' Support Group, held talks with the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury.

Negotiations centred on direct compensation for the family and also the possibility of a payment to 550 other veterans who took part in tests at the establishment - in addition to claims by those who say their health suffered as a result.

The Canadian Government recently agreed to pay $24,000 (£11,280) to veterans who took part in similar tests "in recognition of their services to Canada".

Mr Care said: "We feel Porton Down veterans should be treated in the same way as Canadian veterans."

A spokesman for the MoD declined to comment as meetings to discuss compensation were private.