A CONTROVERSIAL euthanasia campaigner dubbed Dr Death has pledged to continue his plans to hold a suicide workshop at a Bournemouth hotel tomorrow after being allowed into the UK.

Australian Dr Philip Nitschke and his partner Fiona Short were held for nine hours by immigration officials on Saturday before being permitted to continue their tour.

The couple were quizzed about whether their presentation would “assist” suicides which are against the law and told they must leave the UK within seven days.

The visa restriction will not prevent them from holding four suicide information workshops this week at Hamilton Hall in Boscombe as well as venues in Brighton, Stroud and Glasgow.

Hamilton Hall boss John Bellamy was unavailable for comment yesterday but a spokesman at the Carysfort Road hotel, a venue used by gay naturists, confirmed that tomorrow’s workshop was still going ahead.

After being questioned at Heathrow, Dr Nitschke who yesterday launched a kit to test the effectiveness of suicide drugs, said: “I will be discussing some of the problems of existing legislation in Britain where you have a situation where suicide is not a crime but anyone who assists can experience very severe penalties.”

He will also hold “closed sessions” for members of his pro-euthanasia group Exit International on different suicide methods.

The medic added: “Elderly folk, rather than let themselves get into a state where they have to ask someone to help them do it, need to put some practical measures in place.

“People want to know which drugs they can take and if they did which would give them a peaceful death. We give them an overview of what their choices might be.

“Giving access to this information does not encourage anyone to do anything.

The benefits to the wider population outweigh the risks to one individual.”

But Father Anthony Pennicott from the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church on Richmond Hill condemned Dr Nitschke’s plans. He said: “This is not the answer. The issue should be debated in a more sane, orderly manner. We have every sympathy and compassion for people who are facing the indescribable pain of dying or seeing a relative dying; obviously I have seen that myself.

“Allowing people to take their own lives legally is opening up all sorts of options which could be abused, especially in the case of vulnerable people.

“As well as being against religious principles this is absolutely inhumane. The repercussions are going to be alarmingly dangerous.”

Jo Cartwright from Dignity and Dying said: “What he is doing is irresponsible and unlawful and we had hoped that he would be deported.

“We now want the various police forces to stop the meetings from happening.”

Plans for a workshop in Bournemouth last autumn were shelved after councillors objected to an adult learning centre being used as the venue.