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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| No action over assisted suicide | No action over assisted suicide |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| No action will be taken against family and friends of a terminally-ill man who died in an assisted suicide. | No action will be taken against family and friends of a terminally-ill man who died in an assisted suicide. |
| Paul Bennett, 47, from Swansea, who had motor neurone disease, chose to die from lethal injection at a clinic in Switzerland in May this year. | |
| South Wales Police launched an inquiry following his death. | |
| But the force said it had been advised by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that no further action should be taken on public interest grounds. | |
| Mr Bennett, who had a wife and a 10-year-old son, suffered from motor neurone disease - a progressive fatal condition that causes muscle wastage. | Mr Bennett, who had a wife and a 10-year-old son, suffered from motor neurone disease - a progressive fatal condition that causes muscle wastage. |
| I was profoundly moved by the closeness and love that Paul's family and friends had for him Peter Azzopardi, South Wales Police | I was profoundly moved by the closeness and love that Paul's family and friends had for him Peter Azzopardi, South Wales Police |
| Members of Mr Bennett's family travelled with him to a clinic in Switzerland, where assisted death is legal in many cases. | |
| An investigation took place into the actions of Mr Bennett's family and a friend who helped him travel to Switzerland. | An investigation took place into the actions of Mr Bennett's family and a friend who helped him travel to Switzerland. |
| But police said on Monday that the CPS had decided not to take any further action. | But police said on Monday that the CPS had decided not to take any further action. |
| Det Ch Insp Peter Azzopardi, head of Swansea CID, said: "This case has evoked a variety of comments within the media with arguments being put forward in respect of both sides of the debate concerning assisted death. | |
| "I was profoundly moved by the closeness and love that Paul's family and friends had for him and one can understand the dilemma they faced in such tragic circumstances. | "I was profoundly moved by the closeness and love that Paul's family and friends had for him and one can understand the dilemma they faced in such tragic circumstances. |
| "I would ask that his family and friends are allowed to grieve him and move forward with their lives. | "I would ask that his family and friends are allowed to grieve him and move forward with their lives. |
| "I fully support the Crown Prosecution Service's decision." | "I fully support the Crown Prosecution Service's decision." |
| 'Law is an ass' | |
| Mr Bennett's father, Roy Bennett, who was one of those interviewed by police, said the last few months had been extremely difficult for the family. | Mr Bennett's father, Roy Bennett, who was one of those interviewed by police, said the last few months had been extremely difficult for the family. |
| "The relief we feel now it's all over is tremendous," he said. | "The relief we feel now it's all over is tremendous," he said. |
| While full of praise for the way police handled the inquiry, he still wants to see the law changed in the UK. | |
| "The law is an ass. They're not prepared to accept that there can be many, many reasons for change," he said. | |
| "If in our suffering we can point someone in the right direction which will help maybe change the law, that would be our one hope, that Paul's passing has achieved something." | |
| He believed people were entitled to hold their own opinions on assisted suicide, but said: "I wouldn't wish the person with these opinions to go through what we have gone through and what my son and his wife and family went through. | |
| "If they could possibly bring themselves to understand that there are situations where there is no cure for a person - why allow them to suffer extreme pain? | |
| "When I say he's at rest, I wonder what would have been his decision if he'd realised that we were being persecuted through his end. | |
| "We have had some detrimental remarks made on it, some from the medical profession, sadly to say." | |
| Mr Bennett added the family could now get on with their lives and remember Paul "at his better days, not in his worse days". |