Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions has today said that, while there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction of Mark and Julie James in relation to the death by suicide of their son Daniel, such a prosecution is not in the public interest and no further action should be taken either against them or against a family friend who assisted them.
Keir Starmer, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service, is to clarify whether people should be prosecuted for aiding a suicide following a landmark ruling by the Law Lords last week. It had been assumed that this guidance would affect only cases in which friends or relatives helped people to die abroad, such as at the Dignitas clinic in Zurich. However, in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mr Starmer said the “broad principles” of his new guidelines would apply equally to acts of assisted suicide planned and carried out at home.
The DPP's interim guidance on assisted suicide prosecutions leaves many questions unanswered, says Penney Lewis Despite the publicity surrounding it, assisted suicide remains rare in the United Kingdom. Anonymous surveys of doctors suggest that it is non-existent, although voluntary euthanasia is carried out by doctors in a very small fraction of cases. There are cases of assistance by non-professionals, resulting in a small number of prosecutions for assisted suicide – 16 since April 2005, according to the DPP.
A question has arisen as to whether it was in the public interest for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to have prosecuted Kay Gilderdale for attempted murder. This is an important question and, in the interests of transparency and accountability, I have decided to issue a short public answer. As is well known, before proceeding with a case, the CPS must be satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and that it is in the public interest to bring the case before a court.
No charge will be brought against Michael Bateman in relation to the death of his wife Margaret on 20 October 2009. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) today decided there was sufficient evidence to charge Mr Bateman with aiding or abetting a suicide, but it would not be in the public interest to do so.
A man who helped his wife to kill herself by placing a bag over her head will not face charges, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said. The CPS said there was sufficient evidence to charge Michael Bateman, 63, of Birstall, West Yorkshire, but it was not in the public interest to do so. Mr Bateman admitted assisting his wife Margaret, 62, who had suffered decades of pain, with her death in October. Mrs Bateman died by inhaling helium gas with a plastic bag over her head. Bryan Boulter, reviewing lawyer for the CPS special crime division, concluded that Mr Bateman's only motivation for being involved in the death of his wife was compassion.
Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, has today said that while there is sufficient evidence to prosecute Alan Cutkelvin Rees and Dr Michael Irwin in relation to the death of Raymond Cutkelvin at a Dignitas clinic in Switzerland in February 2007, such a prosecution would not be in the public interest and no further action should be taken against them.
This Legal Guidance has been agreed in consultation with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Department of Health (DH). Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions said: "We were made aware of rising concerns among pharmacists' professional bodies in relation to prosecuting offences under the Medicines Act 1968 where a dispensing error has occurred. The MHRA subsequently approached us with a view to creating guidance for prosecutors and we have worked together to reach agreement. "We welcome this cooperation between our departments and believe that this Legal Guidance will ensure high quality decision making and consistency of approach when prosecutors come to consider such cases."
The CPS has decided that charges will not be brought against Dr Elisabeth Wilson and two individuals following the death of Caroline Loder at her home in Surrey on 8 June 2009. A spokesperson said: "We have thoroughly reviewed a file of evidence in relation to a woman and 2 men suspected of committing an offence of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the suicide of another contrary to s2 of the Suicide Act 1961. We have decided that there is not sufficient evidence to prosecute one of the men. The assistance he gave to the deceased was not of a kind that could be said to have assisted the act of suicide. "We have further decided that although there is sufficient evidence to prosecute one of the men and the woman, after considering the public interest factors tending in favour and against prosecution, as outlined in the Policy for Prosecutors in respect of cases of encouraging or assisting suicide, it is not in the public interest to bring a prosecution against either of them."