British euthanasia doctor confesses

Chicago Chronicle Sunday 14th December, 2003

A British doctor has admitted to police he helped a terminally ill man die, the London Telegraph reported Sunday.

Dr. Michael Irwin, a retired general practitioner, is the focus of an investigation of a 74-year-old farmer's death by overdose of sedatives.

Irwin is the chairman of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society, and told police he did conspire to assist Patrick Kneen's desire to die, but stopped short of saying he was responsible for the death.

Kneen was diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer.

The 72-year-old retired doctor told the Telegraph he went Kneen's home with enough sleeping tablets to enable Kneen to kill himself. He insisted, however, the patient eventually died after receiving sedation from other medical staff.

The death certificate said Kneen died from cancer, but the newspaper said police are now considering exhuming his body to perform an autopsy.

Kneen's 71-year-old widow was also arrested Friday over his death. As with Irwin, she too was freed on bail and denies acting illegally.