Shipman was denied a fair trial, says his lawyer

The family GP from Hyde, Greater Manchester, was found guilty in 2000 of murdering 15 of his women patients.

A public inquiry in 2002 also found that he was responsible for the deaths of more than 200 patients during his career in Hyde and Todmorden, West Yorkshire.

Lawyer Giovanni di Stefano - whose past clients include former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic - is preparing a case on Shipman's behalf.

It will argue that, by refusing the defence team a second post-mortem examination on 11 of the dead women, Shipman was denied a fair trial.

If this man is to be condemned to death, let's do it in a manner that is lawful and we can be satisfied that we have got the right man Giovanni di Stefano

A second examination of Shipman's final victim, Kathleen Grundy, found traces of diamorphine in her body, which was attributed as the cause of her death.

Mr di Stefano said this meant the original case "was purely a review of the evidence of the Crown".

He added: "One wonders, as is consistent with English law, whether that is appropriate and a conviction based upon that is correct.

'Potentially flawed'

"I have grave causes for concern for the safety of his conviction at his trial in the manner that it was conducted.

"He may very well still be guilty.

"But if this man [Shipman] is to be condemned to death, let's do it in a manner that is lawful and we can be satisfied that we have got the right man."

The lawyer, who also represented jailed property tycoon Nicholas van Hoogstraten, said the Crown had conceded that the evidence given by the forensic toxicologist at the original trial was "potentially flawed".

He said: "Is it safe to assume that because [diamorphine] is in one of the victims and you are prohibited from having a post-mortem on the others that it is a safe conviction?"

Shipman was given 15 life sentences to run concurrently in January 2000 after being convicted of murdering 15 patients by administering fatal doses of diamorphine.