BRITISH ISSUE NEW GUIDELINES ON ASSISTED SUICIDE

Independent, UK - Relatives of people who kill themselves will not face prosecution as long as they do not maliciously encourage them and assist only a "clear settled and informed wish" to commit suicide, the Director of Public Prosecutions said. Keir Starmer QC outlined guidance to make it easier for those helping someone commit assisted suicide to know if they will face prosecution. Today's move comes after the Law Lords backed multiple sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy's call for a policy statement on whether people who help someone commit suicide should be prosecuted.

Mr Starmer said: "There are no guarantees against prosecution and it is my job to ensure that the most vulnerable people are protected while at the same time giving enough information to those people like Mrs Purdy who want to be able to make informed decisions about what actions they may choose to take." He added: "Assisting suicide has been a criminal offence for nearly 50 years and my interim policy does nothing to change that."

More than 100 Britons have ended their lives at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland, but, until now, friends or relatives who accompany them have not known if they will face prosecution.