A doctor in Scotland who gave a paralysing drug to two terminally ill babies, has told a General Medical Council (GMC) panel he felt the children were suffering.
Consultant neonatologist Michael Munro, 41, injected the two children at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital after they suffered violent body spasms and has been accused of an act "tantamount to euthanasia".
Dr. Munro has denied his conduct was below standard, dishonest or inappropriate and the says the body spasms were "horrendous" for the relatives to witness.
The inquiry has heard the doctor's administration of drugs in 2005 hastened the deaths of two terminally ill babies when he gave 23 times the normal dose of a muscle relaxant.
Distressed parents crying that they could take no more prompted his actions and he took the decision then to administer the drug Pancuronium.
However experts say when babies become weak with treatment withdrawal they can struggle to breathe, a condition known as agonal gasping and Dr Munro's colleagues raised doubts about the treatment and an investigation was launched into the doctor's actions.
Dr. Munro says the parents were utterly distraught because they had already said their last goodbyes to their babies before the massive, racking agonal gasps; following discussion with the family, a nurse brought the muscle relaxant.
Dr. Munro says he made the decision to use Pancuronium after reading an article in a medical journal and felt the drug appeared ethical and acceptable to be used in this situation.