Husband filmed himself as he helped disabled wife die to prove it wasn't murder
By Chris BrookeLast updated at 11:58 AM on 10th March 2011
- Woman in 'excruciating pain' decided suicide was her last option
- IT consultant spared court because of new guidelines
Michael Bateman: He was 'frank' with police about helping his wife die after years suffering from a mystery illness
After suffering ‘excrutiating pain’ from a mystery condition for four decades, Margaret Bateman, 62, decided suicide was the ‘only option left’ and pleaded with husband Michael to help her ‘end it', an inquest was told in Huddersfield.
With no hope that doctors could cure the terrible pain that left her bedridden, the couple came up with an elaborate method involving a bag over her head that would enable Mrs Bateman to take her own life.
Emergency services were later called to the house and the video was still in place when police arrived.
Mr Bateman, 63, an IT consultant who had given up work to provide his wife with 24-hour care, was ‘frank and candid’ about his role when interviewed by police.
Detective Superintendent Sukhbir Singh, who led the inquiry, said there was ‘clearly sufficient evidence’ for a charge of aiding and abetting suicide.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer used his new guidelines on assisted suicide to decide it was ‘not in the public interest’ to prosecute the husband.
His new rules state that prosecution is less likely if the dead person made a ‘voluntary, clear, settled and informed decision’ to die and the helper must be ‘wholly motivated by compassion'.
Recording a verdict of suicide, Deputy Coroner Paul Marks told the inquest that Mrs Bateman ‘had expressed the wish to take her own life on a number of occasions’ and found she was ‘aided and abetted in committing suicide by a third party'.
He said: 'I have seen the video of this lady’s last minutes which I regard as some of the most distressing footage I have ever seen.’
The inquest heard how Mrs Bateman had suffered from a mysterious condition for 40 years which left her in severe pain all over her body, especially in her left foot. She described the level of pain to one hospital consultant as ‘10 out of 10.’
Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer used his new guidelines on assisted suicide to decide it was 'not in the public interest' to prosecute Michael Bateman
The pain was made worse by an accident two years before she died in which she fell out of a mechanical chair when part of it broke.
Mr Bateman described in a statement how his wife suffered continued ‘excrutiating pain’, her skin condition was ‘terrible’, she was losing her hair and suffered from severe muscle wastage because she was immobile.
‘None of the medical staff and nurses believed the amount of pain she was suffering,’ he said.
After her death in October 2009, she was found to have four hairline pelvic fractures, although she had not complained of pain specifically in this area.
Mr Bateman said he had to help her to get out of bed to go to the toilet and cared for her every need.
‘Just living was a humiliating experience,’ he said.
Their son Richard told the hearing Mrs Bateman had become suicidal because of the chronic pain. At one point she started starving herself.
Weeks after Mrs Bateman died, her husband of almost 40 years paid tribute to a ‘brave and courageous woman'.
Mr Bateman said: 'What I did for Margaret was morally right and correct. It’s what she wanted. It helped her out of her suffering. If society chooses to lock me up then society needs jolting around the issue of assisted suicide.’
He left the inquest without commenting.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1364638/Man-helped-wife-life-spared-court-thanks-new-rules-assisted-suicide.html#ixzz1GCm7q8vj
