The euthanasia expert whose invitation to speak to medical students at Queen’s University on Monday was withdrawn has vowed he will come to Belfast early in 2009.

As he opened negotiations with another group in the city, Dr Philip Nitschke was scathing over the decision by Queen’s University to cancel his invite.

“In all my travels,” said the Australian (61), known internationally as ‘Dr Death’, “I have never come across this.

It is also an insult to the intelligence of the students if they aren’t allowed to take on board other views

“The aim was to talk to medical students and simply air my views and listen to theirs.

“But Queen’s has bowed to pressure and didn’t even have the courtesy to contact me directly when they decided to cancel. I heard their decision second-hand. Not only is it an insult to me, but it is also an insult to the intelligence of the students if they aren’t allowed to take on board other views.”

However, a spokesman for Queen’s insisted that, while the university was the venue for the event, it was organised by the Northern Ireland Forum for Medicine and Health, and it was they who pulled the plug.

“There were to have been two keynote speakers at the event, one of whom was to have been Dr Nitschke,” said a spokesman at the university.

“But on reflection, when they realised his methods and content of his workshops, they decided it would be inappropriate to include him. In fact, the entire event has been cancelled. As for informing him, a member of the forum contacted his PA directly last Saturday and made it clear that it had been cancelled.”

Dr Nitschke’s methods have been criticised worldwide. He offers a DIY plastic bag filled with helium — he calls it his “exit bag” — drugs from Mexico, morphine and so-called peaceful pills for older people to end it all.And during a nine-month period in the 1990s when euthanasia was made legal in his home state of Northern Territory, Australia, he helped four patients commit suicide with the use of a laptop computer programme.

In withdrawing the invitation at the start of the week, a spokeswoman for Queen’s University said: “The Northern Ireland Forum for Ethics in Medicine and Healthcare has withdrawn its invitation to Dr Philip Nitschke as his reported views were not deemed appropriate for the event.”

Dr Nitschkel confirmed last night that he was negotiating with another group in the city to have a public meeting and a workshop to show his methods for suicide.