Nigel Cox (doctor)
Encyclopedia
Dr Nigel Leigh Cox is a British
consultant rheumatologist and the only doctor ever to have been convicted in Britain for attempted euthanasia
. In 1992 he was convicted of the attempted murder of patient Lillian Boyes, and received a suspended sentence
.
became worse, she pleaded with him to end her life. According to the hospital chaplain
, 'When anyone touched her you could hear the bones move about in their joints. The sound will stay with me to the grave'.
In August 1991, he administered an injection of two ampoule
s of potassium chloride
, in order to stop her heart. After she died, Patrick, one of her sons, thanked Cox. In Cox's view, he probably shortened her life by "between 15 minutes and an hour."
Cox entered the amount used in the hospital log
- twice the amount needed to cause death. It was then noticed by a nurse, who reported it. Cox signed the cause of death as having been bronchial pneumonia.
Cox was arrested for attempted murder and suspended for 18 months by the hospital, though he was allowed to teach at another hospital and continue his private practice.
decided to take no further action. Cox returned to his former job in February 1993, under supervision.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
consultant rheumatologist and the only doctor ever to have been convicted in Britain for attempted euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
. In 1992 he was convicted of the attempted murder of patient Lillian Boyes, and received a suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
.
Lillian Boyes
In 1991 Lillian Boyes, then 70, entered the Royal Hampshire County Hospital. Cox was her consultant and had been treating Boyes for 13 years. As her rheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...
became worse, she pleaded with him to end her life. According to the hospital chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
, 'When anyone touched her you could hear the bones move about in their joints. The sound will stay with me to the grave'.
In August 1991, he administered an injection of two ampoule
Ampoule
An ampoule is a small sealed vial which is used to contain and preserve a sample, usually a solid or liquid. Ampoules are commonly made of glass, although plastic ampoules do exist....
s of potassium chloride
Potassium chloride
The chemical compound potassium chloride is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. In its pure state, it is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance, with a crystal structure that cleaves easily in three directions. Potassium chloride crystals are...
, in order to stop her heart. After she died, Patrick, one of her sons, thanked Cox. In Cox's view, he probably shortened her life by "between 15 minutes and an hour."
Cox entered the amount used in the hospital log
Logbook
A logbook was originally a book for recording readings from the chip log, and is used to determine the distance a ship traveled within a certain amount of time...
- twice the amount needed to cause death. It was then noticed by a nurse, who reported it. Cox signed the cause of death as having been bronchial pneumonia.
Cox was arrested for attempted murder and suspended for 18 months by the hospital, though he was allowed to teach at another hospital and continue his private practice.
Trial
Cox was tried at Winchester Crown Court in September 1992 by Justice Ognall. Cox was charged with attempted murder, since it was impossible to conclusively prove that the injection he gave killed her. He was given a 12-month suspended sentence. Boyes' family supported his actions throughout the trial.Post-trial career
In November 1992, the professional conduct committee of the General Medical CouncilGeneral Medical Council
The General Medical Council registers and regulates doctors practising in the United Kingdom. It has the power to revoke or restrict a doctor's registration if it deems them unfit to practise...
decided to take no further action. Cox returned to his former job in February 1993, under supervision.
See also
- Dr John Bodkin AdamsJohn Bodkin AdamsJohn Bodkin Adams was an Irish-born British general practitioner, convicted fraudster and suspected serial killer. Between the years 1946 and 1956, more than 160 of his patients died in suspicious circumstances. Of these, 132 left him money or items in their will. He was tried and acquitted for...
- British suspected serial killerSerial killerA serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
acquitted in 1957 of murdering an elderly patient. - Dr Leonard ArthurLeonard ArthurDr Leonard John Henry Arthur MB, BChir, MRCP, D Obst RCOG was a British doctor tried in 1981 for the attempted murder of John Pearson, a newborn child with Down's Syndrome. He was acquitted....
- British doctor acquitted in 1981 of murdering a Down's Syndrome baby - Howard MartinHoward MartinHoward Martin is a former British doctor who was prosecuted for the murder of three patients in 2005 but acquitted. In June 2010, after being struck off the medical register by the General Medical Council for hastening the deaths of 18 patients, he admitted in a newspaper interview bringing...
- British doctor who admitted hastening the deaths of two patients - David Moor - British doctor acquitted in 1999 of murdering a terminally ill patient. Moor admitted in a press interview to having killed 300 patients over 30 years