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| Mother defends rugby suicide son | Mother defends rugby suicide son |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The mother of a paralysed rugby player who died in a Swiss assisted suicide clinic defended in an e-mail debate her son's right to die, it has emerged. | |
| Daniel James, 23, of Worcester, died on 12 September, and police have since confirmed they are investigating. | Daniel James, 23, of Worcester, died on 12 September, and police have since confirmed they are investigating. |
| His mother Julie emailed the Daily Telegraph's website on 4 October, urging readers not to judge him. | His mother Julie emailed the Daily Telegraph's website on 4 October, urging readers not to judge him. |
| She also criticised a woman - described as "well meaning" - for reporting their journey to Switzerland to police. | She also criticised a woman - described as "well meaning" - for reporting their journey to Switzerland to police. |
| Mr James's mother and father, from Sinton Green, Worcester, are under investigation over the death. | |
| He suffered a collapsed spine in a scrum during a training session at Nuneaton Rugby Club in March 2007, which left him paralysed from the chest down. | |
| Our son could not have been more loved and had he felt he could live his life this way he would have been loved just the same Julie James Earlier this month Julie James emailed the Telegraph website in response to a separate debate about the story of a terminally ill woman called Debbie Purdy, who is fighting for clarification of the law on assisted suicide. | Our son could not have been more loved and had he felt he could live his life this way he would have been loved just the same Julie James Earlier this month Julie James emailed the Telegraph website in response to a separate debate about the story of a terminally ill woman called Debbie Purdy, who is fighting for clarification of the law on assisted suicide. |
| Mrs James's e-mail said her son felt he had no option other than to travel to the clinic. | |
| "We returned from Switzerland on the 12 September after accompanying our... son who had been left tetraplegic after a rugby accident," she wrote. | "We returned from Switzerland on the 12 September after accompanying our... son who had been left tetraplegic after a rugby accident," she wrote. |
| "Dan found his life so unbearable and had tried to commit suicide three times, other than to starve himself to travel to Switzerland was his only option. | "Dan found his life so unbearable and had tried to commit suicide three times, other than to starve himself to travel to Switzerland was his only option. |
| "Whilst we were away some 'well meaning' person involved with social services took it upon herself to call the police. | "Whilst we were away some 'well meaning' person involved with social services took it upon herself to call the police. |
| "This person had never met Dan before or after his accident and obviously gave no consideration for our younger daughters who had seen their big brother suffer so much, and the day before had to say goodbye to him. | "This person had never met Dan before or after his accident and obviously gave no consideration for our younger daughters who had seen their big brother suffer so much, and the day before had to say goodbye to him. |
| "I hope that one day I will get the chance to speak to this lady and ask if she had a son, daughter, father, mother, who could not walk, had no hand function, was incontinent, and relied upon 24-hour care for every basic need and they had asked her for support, what would she have done?! | "I hope that one day I will get the chance to speak to this lady and ask if she had a son, daughter, father, mother, who could not walk, had no hand function, was incontinent, and relied upon 24-hour care for every basic need and they had asked her for support, what would she have done?! |
| "Our son could not have been more loved and had he felt he could live his life this way he would have been loved just the same but this was his right as a human being, nobody but nobody should judge him or anyone else." | "Our son could not have been more loved and had he felt he could live his life this way he would have been loved just the same but this was his right as a human being, nobody but nobody should judge him or anyone else." |
| 'Fear and loathing' | 'Fear and loathing' |
| Speaking after news emerged of the police investigation, Mrs James and her husband Mark said their son did not want to live a second-class existence. | |
| Describing him as an intelligent young man of sound mind, they said his death was "no doubt a welcome relief from the 'prison' he felt his body had become and the day-to-day fear and loathing of his living existence". | Describing him as an intelligent young man of sound mind, they said his death was "no doubt a welcome relief from the 'prison' he felt his body had become and the day-to-day fear and loathing of his living existence". |
| "This is the last way that the family wanted Dan's life to end but he was, as those who know him are aware, an intelligent, strong-willed and some say determined young man," they said. | "This is the last way that the family wanted Dan's life to end but he was, as those who know him are aware, an intelligent, strong-willed and some say determined young man," they said. |
| Daniel James was described as a "fantastic" rugby player | Daniel James was described as a "fantastic" rugby player |
| Assisted suicide is illegal in the UK, although the practice is tolerated by the authorities in Switzerland. | Assisted suicide is illegal in the UK, although the practice is tolerated by the authorities in Switzerland. |
| The clinic Dignitas, where all known British assisted suicides have taken place, said that because of privacy laws it could not disclose whether Mr James had been one of its members. | |
| He is believed to be the youngest person from Britain to have gone to Switzerland to take his own life, according to a spokesman for campaign group Dignity in Dying. | |
| Mr James also played for the England Universities rugby team and England Students team. | Mr James also played for the England Universities rugby team and England Students team. |
| A trust set up in his name after his accident has raised nearly £25,000 for spinal research. | A trust set up in his name after his accident has raised nearly £25,000 for spinal research. |
| The president of Nuneaton Rugby Club, Keith Howells, said he was convinced Mr James would have made the main England team. | |
| He said: "The guy was a fantastic player. It's affected some of our players badly." | He said: "The guy was a fantastic player. It's affected some of our players badly." |
| An inquest into his death was opened and adjourned on 19 September. | An inquest into his death was opened and adjourned on 19 September. |