A MURDER charge doctor was described as wonderful and caring in a number of glowing tributes from former patients at his trial.

Dr Howard Martin, 71, was the subject of several written and spoken testimonials from former patients on what was the last day of the defence case in the murder trial at Teesside Crown Court.

The retired County Durham GP denies killing Harry Gittins, 74, from Newton Aycliffe, in January last year by injecting him with a lethal dose of the painkiller morphine. He also denies the same charge relating to Frank Moss, 59, of Eldon, near Bishop Auckland, and Stanley Wheldon, 74, from Coundon Grange, who both died in March 2003.

Norah Arrowsmith, from Newton Aycliffe, said Dr Martin had "gone beyond the call of duty" in caring for her late husband, who died of bowel cancer.

On hearing of his arrest she had sent him a card which said, "thinking of you in these trying circumstances".

Mrs Arrowsmith said of Dr Martin: "I considered him to be wonderful and caring. He was a straight talking man and told it like it was."

Valerie Nixon, from Newton Aycliffe, a patient of Dr Martin's since 1995, said he had treated her husband for prostate cancer.

Her testimonial described how he had something extra and provided a very personal service to his patients.

Mrs Nixon said: "Dr Martin was wonderful.

He was always very caring and compassionate. I would describe him as an old-fashioned family doctor.

"He could be bombastic and abrupt but I always thought it was the Army doctor in him."

Character witness John Henderson, from Darlington, a retired police officer, said Dr Martin, of Gwynedd, North Wales, had been his GP for 12 years.

He told the jury: "I felt as though I was his only patient. He gave me and my family huge support when I was ill."

Mr Henderson described him as brusque and said with him it was a case of "what you see is what you get". He added: "He is a compassionate caring man. I have the utmost respect for him as a GP."

Earlier, Dr Mary Shepherd, a consultant histopathologist at Harefield and Royal Brompton Hospitals, who appeared as an expert witness for the defence, said she agreed with the findings of a report by Home Office pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary.

Dr Cary, who gave evidence in defence of Dr Martin on Wednesday, said the three victims were not killed by high levels of morphine.

The trial continues.