A DOCTOR who killed a grandmother by administering a fatal dose of morphine has been jailed for 15 months.

Narendra Sinha, a locum GP, gave Maureen Lyth more than three times the safe level of the drug when he visited her home in Ellesmere Port.

He had refused to look at her medical notes and left minutes after giving the injection without checking if she suffered any adverse reaction.

Sinha, 68, of Freehold Street, Fairfield, Liverpool, denied manslaughter but was found guilty by a jury and was sentenced yesterday at Chester Crown Court.

Dressed in a grey suit, white shirt and brown cardigan, he showed no emotion as the sentence was read out and he was led away.

Mr Justice Harrison told him: "The public must have confidence in their general practitioners and be able to expect his conduct will not be grossly negligent and lead to loss of life.

"Unintentional though it was, what you did resulted in the death of Mrs Lyth."

Sinha was working as an on-call locum for Nestor Medical Duty Services when he was called to Mrs Lyth's house in Grappenhall Road in September 2001.

The court heard he had retired in 2000 when his practice failed, amassing large debts but had started working as a locum. In the week of the visit to Mrs Lyth he had worked five days and four nights.

Sinha found Mrs Lyth, who suffered from severe kidney problems, in "excruciating" pain from arthritis and gave her a 30mg injection of morphine sulphate in her arm.

Her husband John told him of his wife's condition and offered him her medical notes but Sinha refused to look at them. Her illness meant she should have been given less than 10mg of the drug.

He left within minutes of giving the injection and she was found dead in her bed by her husband the next morning.

Mrs Lyth's son Gary and daughter Jane Bird were in court to hear the sentence.

Afterwards they spoke of their anger towards Sinha.

Her son Gary Lyth said: "We have found him to be an uncaring doctor.

"There never should have been any reason for the death of our mum.

"A simple apology at any time during the last two and a half years would have given some peace to our family, but that didn't happen until he appeared in court today.

"We have only got through this with the support of our family and friends.

"Even though our mum had times of ill health, this was an untimely and unnecessary death, leaving a husband, three children and four grandchildren with the great loss of a wife, mum and nan, who didn't deserve to die this way.

"We will remember her always happy and smiling.

"She enjoyed life, even though she had many illnesses. She didn't complain and she never wanted to trouble people."

The family said it was unacceptable for a man past retirement age to be working such long hours, and called for greater checks to be carried out on locums.

Mr Lyth added: "I think it's disgusting that he was working so many hours like that at his age.

"He deserved the prison sentence."

Sinha is currently suspended and the GMC will be carrying out a full investigation.

A spokeswoman for the GMC said: "You can be registered to the GMC at any age. There is no age limit. However, the NHS stops doctors from working full-time after the age of 70, but they are allowed to still do some part-time work."

DI Steve Gould, who headed the investigation into Sinha, said: "It was very clear right from the outset that Dr Sinha had been extremely negligent.

"It is a very sad and tragic case. There has been no time at all when Dr Sinha has expressed remorse for his actions to the family.

"Cheshire Police are very happy with the verdict and sentence."