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Suicide man spent six months planning his death
THE man at the centre of the assisted suicide inquiry spent six months planning his death, it has emerged.
Douglas Sinclair died in an assisted suicide clinic after making the decision to end his own life.
The 76-year-old had been suffering from multiple system atrophy, which had left him eventually struggling to walk.
Mr Sinclair's solicitor, and the executor of his will, Christopher Potts, said: "I was aware of what he was planning.
"He was suffering a degenerative illness which was untreatable. There was no timescale as to when his body would start shutting down.
"He was a man who had fully researched his condition and knew what his prognosis would be.
"He was determined he was going to die with dignity."
For six months Mr Potts met with Mr Sinclair, and said his "resolve never waivered" during that time.
Mr Sinclair had wanted to carry out the trip himself, but was unable to do so, and enlisted the help of two friends.
They too met with the solicitor, who told them of the legal risks involved in becoming part of Mr Sinclair's plans.
He added: "From the outset they knew about the potential legal risks.
"Yet they still went ahead with it. It was motivated by genuine feelings and compassion for someone they knew and cared about.
"It would be a shame for them to be hauled through the courts. But that is a matter for the Department of Public Prosecutions."
New guidelines have been published as recent as February of this year in relation to assisted suicide.
It states that relatives of terminally ill patients who travel with them to help with a mercy killing are "unlikely" to be prosecuted.
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Monday 21 May 2012
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