Carer ‘mercy killing’ case

Carer found guilty of murder in ‘carer mercy killing’ case

Claire Darbyshire, 36, killed her father, 67-year-old Brian Darbyshire, who had been suffering from MS since 1995.

After the killing, Claire Darbyshire claimed that the pair had made a suicide pact as his illness became intolerable and that she had intended to kill herself as well. A joint suicide attempt, where they had both taken an overdose, had failed to take effect, she claimed.

However, the judge found that Claire had killed her father ‘behind closed doors’, although Nicholas Hilliard QC accepted that Claire herself had believed it was a mercy killing:

“I accept your evidence that your father did raise the question of ending his own life and he wanted to do that and wanted your help to do so.”

The case received widespread media coverage, including this BBC article.

Claire Darbyshire, who was born male but lived her life as a female, was represented by FMW Law.