In a case that challenges Britain's definition of murder, a judge has ruled that a severely disabled man who wants a doctor to kill him will be granted a hearing.

It is the first euthanasia case of its kind to be allowed a hearing in a British court.

Tony Nicklinson, 57, suffered a paralysing stroke in 2005 that left him unable to speak or move below his neck. The former rugby player and corporate manager requires constant care and communicates largely by blinking, although his mind has remained unaffected.

In January, Nicklinson asked the High Court to declare that any doctor who gives him a lethal injection with his consent won't be charged with murder.