Former Morgan Crucible chief executive Ian Norris today lost his latest bid to avoid extradition to America where he faces charges of obstructing justice.

The 66-year-old, who has prostate cancer, has been arguing that it would a breach of his human rights to extradite him.

He previously won a House of Lords ruling that blocked his extradition to the US on allegations of price-fixing.

Lord Justice Laws today said he should go in the public interest. He said the feared hardship and distress facing Norris would confront any family man being extradited.

Norris, who retired from the engineering company in 2002, faces seven charges of conspiracy to defraud and two of perverting the course of justice in America. At the time of the alleged offences, price-fixing was not illegal.

Within a month of Norris leaving the company, it emerged that Morgan Crucible had agreed with the US Department of Justice to pay a £7 million fine relating to claims that its US division Morganite had violated US antitrust laws.

In 2003, two former employees pleaded guilty to charges connected to the price-fixing inquiry, including witness-tampering and destroying documents.

Coincidentally, Morgan today issued a warning over profits.