Man dies after losing right to die

| Thursday August 23, 2012 00:00

His lawyer, Saimo Chahal of Bindmans, said Nicklinson's wife, Jane, told her after the draft judgment was handed down on August 12, that 'the fight seemed to go out of him'.'She said that he was heartbroken by the high court's decision that he could not end his life at a time of his choosing with the help of a doctor,' Chahal said.Nicklinson, 58, died at home at 10am on Wednesday, with his wife, his daughters Beth and Lauren, as well as his sister Ginny, at his side. All had supported his legal action to be helped to die.Police said Nicklinson's doctor had certified that his death was from natural causes and they were not involved.

Chahal visited Nicklinson two days after the High Court decision, along with his barrister, Paul Bowen QC.Communicating via a computer, which he operated by eye movements, he told her: 'So, we lost. In truth I am crestfallen, totally devastated and very frightened. I fear for the future and the misery it is bound to bring.'I suppose it was wrong of me to invest so much hope and expectation in the judgment but I really believed in the veracity of the arguments and quite simply could not understand how anybody could disagree with the logic. I guess I forgot the emotional component.'Nicklinson's despair following last week's ruling was evident to all, as he broke into sobs that shook his paralysed body. He and his wife said they would appeal. 'I believe the legal team are prepared to go all the way, but it means yet another period of physical discomfort and mental anguish for me,' he said at the time.

In a statement issued through his lawyers, he added: 'I am saddened that the law wants to condemn me to a life of increasing indignity and misery.'Although the judge acknowledged that his case and that of another paralysed man, known as Martin, were deeply moving, he said it was for parliament and not the courts to decide if the law should be changed.Nicklinson was paralysed from the neck down after a stroke seven years ago. He wanted assurances from the court that anybody who helped him end his life would be free from prosecution.Neither he nor Martin were physically able to end their lives themselves. Neither wanted or felt able to travel far from their homes and loved ones to Dignitas in Switzerland, where death can be legally administered through a lethal cocktail of drugs.

Chahal said that the legal action Nicklinson initiated must now come to an end, but that 'the right to die with dignity, issues that Tony championed will not be forgotten due to the light that Tony shone on them and ... this important debate will continue due to Tony'.She called Nicklinson 'an extraordinary man' who was 'gutsy, determined and a fighter to the end'. It had been a privilege to work with him, she said. 'I only wish the outcome had been different during Tony's lifetime,' she added.A message posted from Nicklinson's Twitter account by his family yesterday said: 'You may already know, my Dad died peacefully this morning of natural causes. He was 58.Before he died, he asked us to tweet: 'Goodbye world, the time has come, I had some fun.' Thank you for your support over the years. We would appreciate some privacy at this difficult time. Love, Jane, Lauren and Beth.'GUARDIAN (UK)