A Greek doctor who saved the life of a British man in Athens has said he made a “mistake keeping him alive”.
Tony Nicklinson suffered a stroke in 2005 on a business trip to Athens and was left with a badly damaged brain stem.
Since the stroke, the father of two has lived in a state of bodily paralysis but remains mentally alert, a torturous limbo known as “locked-in syndrome” in which the 58-year-old cannot talk or feed himself, and communicates only through the blinking of his eyes.
Tony Nicklinson with his daughters Lauren and Beth
BLOG: Read Sally Beck’s exclusive Blog on the Nicklinson case
On Tuesday, Dr Stelios Doris is due to appear in court where Nicklinson, with the support of his family, is hoping to win the right to die.
Filmed for Dispatches on Channel 4, Doris said: “I wouldn’t like for my worst enemy to stay alive in this condition.”
“Death is more normal than to stay alive in this condition. When I was informed that he was still alive I was surprised and sad.
“In a way we owe him. We have made mistakes, not medical mistakes. It is a mistake that he survived.”
Let Our Dad Die will be screened on C4, Monday, 8pm.