Dignitas patient’s last letter denounces law

A RETIRED accountant suffering from motor neurone disease who ended his own life yesterday wrote an open letter to MPS imploring them to change the law on assisted dying after it “robbed him of control over his death”.

Geoff Whaley, 80, died peacefully in his wife’s arms shortly after 10am local time after sipping water laced with lethal drugs at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.

After been diagnosed with MND two years ago, he decided to end his own life in order to avoid the weeks or months of suffering he knew would otherwise be in store.

But his final days were marred by the appearance on his doorstep of police officers who had received an anonymous tip-off about his plans just four hours earlier.

They interviewed Ann, his wife of 52 years, under caution at a police station and again at their home in Chalfont St Peter, Bucks, as well as Mr Whaley himself.

“I became completely terrified that the control was going to be taken away from me,” he told the BBC.

In his letter to MPS, Mr Whaley said: “No family should ever have to endure this torment but it will be easier to bear knowing that by sharing it we can contribute to future change.

“I sincerely hope that you will truly listen to our story and see the suffering you are inflicting by upholding the status quo.”