HE has lost his battle in the Court of Session for the right to help to die, but Scottish grandfather Gordon Ross remains undeterred.

In his first interview since the judgement was announced, he said he wants to continue his fight from his one-room home in a care home in Glasgow.

Asked how he felt when the ruling was published, he said: "I felt unsurprised. The establishment - the courts, the police, the politicians - are timid...

"But I still think I want to go further."

The next step would be to lodge an appeal with the Inner House of the Court of Session. First Mr Ross, who suffers from multiple health problems including severe Parkinson's disease, needs to discuss the plans with his legal team and his family and make a fresh application for legal aid.

What he sought in the Court of Session was greater clarity about how someone who helped him end his life would be treated by the law. In England in 2010 the director of public prosecutions published guidance showing what factors should be taken into account when deciding whether to prosecute someone for assisting a suicide.

In Scotland such guidance has not been issued and earlier this year 21 legal academics sent a letter to the Health and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament saying there is an "alarming lack of clarity" about assisting a suicide in Scots law.

Mr Ross said his best hope had been to get guidance similar to that South of the border.

However, in his judgement Lord Doherty said the Lord Advocate's current policy is not unclear. He said: "In the result I am satisfied that the respondent's policy in relation to prosecution for homicide where the circumstances involve assisted suicide does not lack the requisite accessibility or foreseeability."

Among the evidence considered was a letter the Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland sent to The Herald in April this year which said: "...given the seriousness of the crime of homicide - it is the most serious crime in the law of Scotland - it is difficult to conceive of a case where it would not be in the public interest to take proceedings, but each case must be considered on its own facts and circumstances..."

For Mr Ross, who does not wish to end his life at the moment, this rules out seeking help in future. He said: "If I reach the point where I decide that I need to end my life I would not get anyone to help me if I thought it would put them in danger."

Due to his medical problems Mr Ross has lost sensation in his arms and legs. He is unable to feed or dress himself and could not attend the court hearings into his case due to the episodes of violent shaking which he has to endure. Sometimes his speech is difficult to understand and he says he may need to consider a speech synthesiser, similar to that used by scientist Stephen Hawkins, at some point in time.

He describes the shaking attacks as "horrifying" and fears a life where they are uncontrolled. They already occur at least twice a day, although he says his life has improved since a recent review of his medication reduced their severity.

Asked about arguments used by those who oppose assisted suicide - that what is actually required is better end of life care - Mr Ross says: "I would strongly support good palliative care and if you want it, assisted suicide. I want both to be available to all patients. Good care as a matter of course and the dying as a matter of choice."

Challenging the Lord Advocate, he says, has not taken a toll on his health. "I think because I do not feel personally that I want to terminate my life yet, I am not waiting for something. For people who have made that decision it must be terrible."