A woman who helped her husband travel to Dignitas claimed UK laws made them feel like they were “like thieves” escaping at night.
Ilana Richardson, 78, booked flights to Switzerland for her husband Crispin Ellison, 69, after a prolonged battle with motor neurone disease.
Mrs Richardson, from Hove, said her husband had decided to “maintain his dignity in death” but was relying on her to help him plan the trip.
She was at risk of having a nervous breakdown at the threat of being prosecuted for assisting in Mr Ellison’s death.
Ellison, who worked in charity fundraising, was diagnosed with MND in 2015.
He traveled to Switzerland in 2019, although he would have postponed his decision to spend more time with his family if UK laws allowed assisted dying.
Ilana Richardson, 78, booked flights to Switzerland for her husband Crispin Ellison, 69, after a prolonged battle with motor neurone disease.
Mrs Richardson, from Hove, said her husband had decided to “maintain his dignity in death” but was relying on her to help him plan the trip.
She said she was at risk of having a nervous breakdown at the threat of being prosecuted for assisting in Ellison’s death.
Mrs Richardson said: ‘Crispin was a very dignified man and wanted to maintain his dignity in death.
‘We knew the police might launch an investigation and stop the trip, so very few people knew about our plans.
‘I was very stressed and suffered anxiety attacks; I couldn’t eat and I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown.
‘It was what Crispín wanted but he couldn’t do it. He gave me much more responsibility than he would have liked.’
Mrs Richardson said they were in a position where they could afford to travel to Switzerland, but said the law meant those who could not afford to travel were denied the option.
He added: “If Crispin could have died in the UK, he would have waited until the last moment.”
‘Everything is expensive on this trip, but if it were here it would be very different.
‘We feel like thieves fleeing in the night, the law does not give people the freedom to do what they want with their life and death.
‘It makes me angry that we had to go through what we went through and there are so many people who can’t afford it or are alone.
“It should be about contacting doctors here and being compassionate – people do it because they suffer, not because they want to die.”
