Mercy killing: BBC host held for ex-lover's death

London, Feb 18: In what seem to be a case of mercy killing, BBC host was arrested on Wednesday, Feb 17 for killing his former lover who was dying from AIDS.

The British police made the arrest after Broadcaster Ray Gosling, 70, admitted of smothering an ex-boyfriend with a pillow in hospital to fulfill a pact they had made in case the pain got too severe.

"We had this agreement. If it got like that, I would end his life. And that's what I did," he said. "The doctors said there's nothing we can do and he was in terrible pain. I picked up the pillow and smothered him."

Police said that they came to know about the case after the Gosling comments were aired on Monday, Feb 15.

"Police have arrested a 70-year-old Nottingham man on suspicion of murder following comments on the BBC's 'Inside Out' programme," a police spokeswoman said.

Gosling's comments have revived debate on the legal and moral aspect of assisted suicide, which has often been challenged in the court.

Termed as illegal in Britain, assisted killing carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years for the offenders.

Switzerland has become the destination for many of the terminally ill Britons, where assisted killing is considered legal.

The campaign group Care Not Killing has condemned BBC for broadcasting Goslings comments, before the release of Britain's chief public prosecutor Keir Starmer's final interim guidelines on filing charges against people who perform assisted suicide.

The group has termed the airing of the programme by BBC as "bizarre and irresponsible" .

Starmer had issued interim guidelines on 2009 on charging offenders under mercy killing.

OneIndia News