The case of a severely disabled Melksham man, who wants a doctor to be allowed to "lawfully" end his life, is due to be heard at the High Court today.

Lawyers want a ruling that a doctor could intervene to end Tony Nicklinson's "indignity" and have a "common law defence of necessity"

against any murder charge.

Mr Nicklinson, 57, - who is married with two grown-up daughters and lives in Melksham - suffered a stroke in 2005 and was left with "locked-in syndrome".

He communicates through the use of a perspex board or by using his Eye-Blink computer and sums up his life as "dull, miserable, demeaning, undignified and intolerable".

He is seeking declarations that it is lawful for a doctor to terminate his life, with his consent and with him making the decision with full mental capacity.

Solicitor Saimo Chahal has said: "This will be a test case and raises many difficult legal, moral and ethical questions about euthanasia."

The case is listed to be heard by Mr Justice Charles for a pre-trial review