A DIY suicide expert will host a seminar on euthanasia in Sussex.

Dr Philip Nitschke, dubbed Dr Death, has faced criticism for advising the elderly and terminally ill on DIY suicide methods while warning about the law.

In November the pro-euthanasia expert will hold a workshop in Eastbourne where venues have previously refused to host him.

Australian Dr Nitschke, founder of the right-to-die organisation Exit International, said decisions about life and death should not just be left to the medical profession.

Dr Nitschke said: “Decisions about life and death are not the sole domain of the elites and especially not the medical profession.

"Indeed, there is nothing especially medical about the dying process. You don't need a person in a white coat by your bedside.

“At Exit, we teach that you can do it yourself, should illness or old age ever compromise your life so much that death becomes a preferable option.”

Dr Nitschke was the world's first doctor to administer lethal injections to end the lives of four patients after voluntary euthanasia was made legal in the Northern Territory of Australia in 1996.

The Australian federal government overturned the law nine months later but Dr Nitschke has continued to advise people on ending their lives.

Pro-assisted dying group Dignity in Dying said Dr Nitschke’s intention to visit the UK was “dangerous and irresponsible".

It said: "What is urgently needed is a fully-safeguarded change in the law, where healthcare professionals confirm diagnosis, mental competence and ensure that all other care and treatment options have been fully explored.

"We want terminally ill adults to have the choice to end unnecessary suffering, but only within a framework to protect against potential abuse.

"We continue to believe that the best course of action for Dignity in Dying is to work within the law to change the law and not to give Dr Nitschke the platform he is seeking.”

Sussex Police said someone who “aids, abets, counsels or procures the suicide of another, or an attempt by another” to commit suicide, could face prosecution under the Suicide Act 1961.

Earlier this year Dr Michael Irwin, from Hove, revealed an Eastbourne woman in her 90s had contacted him about the possibility of visiting euthanasia clinic Dignitis in Switzerland.

Sussex Police subsequently contacted him but no charges were pressed.