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Police today confirmed they are not investigating a London man who watched his partner die in a Swiss clinic, adding to confusion over Britain's legal stance on assisted suicide.
Alan Cutkelvin Rees, 57, travelled to the Dignitas clinic in Zurich in 2007 with his partner of 28 years Raymond Cutkelvin, 58, who wanted to end his life because he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. He was there when Raymond took a fatal dose of barbiturates and held his hand as he died.
Mr Cutkelvin Rees said his case confuses the law surrounding assisted suicides. Despite it being illegal to aid or abet the suicide of another person, nobody has yet been prosecuted for taking a relative or friend abroad to die.
Yesterday police confirmed they are investigating the deaths of the conductor Sir Edward Downes and his wife Joan, who died at the Swiss clinic surrounded by family last Friday.
A Met Police spokesman said today: "Mr Cutkelvin Rees is not being pursued by police. If he went into a police station to report a matter then he would be questioned by an officer in line with standard procedure."
Mr Cutkelvin Rees, of Hackney, said: "If police are investigating the family of Edward Downes, why are they not investigating me? I would like police to interview me to clarify the situation so I can get closure."
Reader views (6)
my husbands brother and lovely brother in law was terminaly ill and chose his time to die i think if we are terminaly we should all have the right to an option here in the uk and not have to have a very ill person travel to another country to end their life.
- Lynda Cutkelvin, lanark scotland, 19/07/2009 15:28
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The law is quite clear: Assisting suicide is illegal and each and every case should be properly investigated. Then it may be applied with a gentle touch, letting the case lie where there is no evidence of coercion. The police need to explain themselves on this one.
In fact, the number of UK citizens who have made this journey is still well under 200. That's a drop in the ocean compared to the number who die naturally. And palliative care experts tell us repeated requests for assisted suicide are "vanishingly rare" with good sensitive care.
If we really care about the well being of the old and vulnerable we should be calling for better palliative care and ensuring the law remains in place and is properly applied to prevent coercion.
- Pauline, Surrey, 16/07/2009 09:41
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" Police are duty bound to investigate all crime"; ...only when it is in the public interest, which in most cases it is. This is not. No judgement has therefore been made, because no investigation has taken place.
- Larry, Amsterdam, NL, 16/07/2009 09:18
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Here was I thinking the Police are duty bound to investigate all crime and are not allowed to act as judges, if the law is wrong change it.
- Gerry, Essex, 16/07/2009 07:55
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The Law is an ass, let common sense prevail.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 16/07/2009 06:55
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People with end-stage, terminal medical conditions should be allowed to die with dignity in a manner of their own choosing. The law should be amended to allow for this.
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands, 16/07/2009 06:55
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