Assisted suicide guidelines set out

New guidelines on assisting suicide will place closer scrutiny on the motivation of the suspect, the chief prosecutor in England and Wales said.

Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said each case would be judged on its merits and denied he had legalised assisted suicide or "opened the door to euthanasia".

The stricter, final version of the policy will also place less emphasis on the health of the victim - such as whether they are terminally ill.

It also makes clear that anyone assisting suicide who benefits from the death is unlikely to be prosecuted as long as compassion was the "driving force" behind their actions.

Mr Starmer said: "The policy is now more focused on the motivation of the suspect rather than the characteristics of the victim.

"The policy does not change the law on assisted suicide. It does not open the door for euthanasia. It does not override the will of Parliament. What it does do is to provide a clear framework for prosecutors to decide which cases should proceed to court and which should not."

The new rules also removes the reference to husbands and wives or close friends being less likely to be prosecuted because of their close relationship to the victim.

Responses to the initial guidance, published last year, argued that such relationships could be "antagonistic or manipulative".

The eight pages of guidelines were released this morning along with a 45-page summary of responses.

Assisted suicide remains a criminal offence in England and Wales, punishable by up to 14 years in prison, but individual decisions on prosecution are made depending on the circumstances in each case.