Louise Shackleton said she had to live with the ‘excruciating pressure of a possible court case being brought against me’ after taking her terminally ill husband to Dignitas
A widow facing prosecution after going to Switzerland with her terminally ill husband says she is feeling ‘overwhelmed’ after being told she will not be facing charges.
Louise Shackleton, 59, from North Yorkshire, told The Mirror she received a call from the investigating officer a few days ago to inform her the CPS had decided it was ‘not in the public’s best interest’ to prosecute her. The mum-of-three travelled to Dignitas on December 5 last year with husband Antony, 59, who suffered from motor neurone disease.
Since then she has been under investigation by North Yorkshire Police. She said: “On top of the death of my husband and my grieving for him, I have had the excruciating pressure of a possible court case being brought against me.”
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“If my husband had taken his own life in this country the scenario would have been extremely different. I would not have been criminalised, I would have been supported. The college of policing has strict guidelines on how police forces should deal with cases of suicide.
“However if someone decides to take their life in a foreign country, the family member who is with them is automatically under suspicion.
“There is no care, there is consideration for the person, who is treated brutally. I felt overwhelmed that my children who had just lost their father, who could not say goodbye had been wrung through an emotional trauma for ten months, would no longer have to worry about me going to jail.”
“But I knew there would be no prosecution because I’ve done nothing wrong. To date, as far as I’m aware, there has been no prosecution for any loved one, friend or family, who have accompanied their loved one to Switzerland for an assisted death.
“This fact in itself proves that in all cases – that are investigated – there has been no coercion, there has been no force, there has been no wrongdoing. This evidence in itself hopefully will send a message to the Lords that coercion has not existed in regard to any Switzerland assisted death.
“My husband’s journey in Switzerland was not in vain, we have spoken out and his voice has been heard from beyond the grave.” The Assisted Dying Bill – which would let those with six months to live apply for assisted dying – was introduced to Parliament by MP Kim Leadbeater in October last year.
In September, the House of Lords agreed to create a new committee to provide extra scrutiny of the Assisted Dying Bill. The committee has been given a deadline of November 7 to report back to the Lords, which would give enough time for the bill to pass into law during the current parliamentary session.
Louise said: “Fellow campaigners and myself look forward to hearing what the Lords committee say. It’s reassuring to know that the Lords will be scrutinising the proposed terminally ill adults bill and will file down any sharp corners on it with their expertise.
“Hopefully the Lords will listen to the public, they will listen to the Commons and the professionals who are in agreement with this bill and they will not try to block this bill.” Opponents fear family assisted dying would weaken society’s respect for the sanctity of life and put pressure on the vulnerable.
But Louise said: “The status quo cannot continue. Assisted deaths need to be open, not driven underground. Assisted deaths need to be talked about, these deaths are the ending of suffering not the ending of lives. Antony was brave in life and his bravery continues to hopefully help others.”
The CPS declined to comment last night. The Mirror has contacted North Yorkshire Police for comment
