Judge: Assisted suicide man was devoted husband
Friday, 20 Oct 2006 09:25
The man who admitted helping his severely ill wife to die was a loving husband, the judge sentencing him said yesterday.
Judge Brian Barker handed David March a nine-month suspended sentence and 50 hours community service for aiding and abetting the suicide of his wife Gillian, a multiple sclerosis sufferer who had twice tried to kill herself.
"You knew she would continue her attempts until she was successful. Each attempt was weakening her body and you were concerned that she might have suffered brain damage," the judge said.
"Your wife was determined to control and then take her own life when she felt she had become too much of a burden. You felt you had little choice but to respect her will."
He added: "You were a husband who not only had a deep love for his wife but who displayed a selfless devotion to her."