Locked-in man Tony Nicklinson breaks down as he loses right-to-die bid

'Locked-in' campaigner Tony Nicklinson broke down in tears as judges refused his landmark right-to-die case today.

Three judges sitting in London unanimously agreed that it would be wrong for the court to depart from the long-established legal position that "voluntary euthanasia is murder, however understandable the motives may be".

They said doctors and solicitors who aided another person's suicide were "at real risk of prosecution".

They described Mr Nicklinson's case as 'deeply moving and tragic' but ruled the current law did not breach human rights.

Mr Nicklinson, from Melksham, Wiltshire, suffered a catastrophic stroke which left paralysed in 2005.

[Related article: Locked-in syndrome - shut out by a stroke]

Speaking through his computer - which is controlled by blinking and head movements - the father-of-two, 58, vowed to appeal the decision.

He said: "Judges, like politicians, are happiest when they can avoid confronting the real issues and this judgement is no exception to the rule.

"I believe that the legal team acting on my behalf are prepared to go all the way on this but unfortunately for me it means yet another period of physical discomfort, misery and mental anguish while we find out who controls my life, me or the state."

Wife Jane, 56, who cares full-time for her husband, added: "The judgement is incredibly one-sided, the only points they seem to have considered are the points put forward by the opposition.

"We have been told we have grounds for an appeal. It just seems that all the points we put forward have really been ignored.

"You can see Tony is absolutely heartbroken. We always knew it was a big ask but we always hoped that the judges would see sense but quite clearly they haven't."

Jane continued: "The next step will be that we will appeal. Hopefully we will get a hearing by Christmas. It is just more waiting for Tony.

"Tony either has to carry on living like this, or he dies of natural causes or by starving himself.

"We could go to Switzerland but it is very expensive and he doesn't see why the hell he has to go to another country to die in an industrial estate."