The Suicide Act
Article added on the 11 Sep 2015
As MP's debate the 'Assisted Dying Bill' , it is a timely reminder to think about the over 6000 people a year who take their own lives, many of which see no way forward.
The Suicide Act 1961 makes it an offence to encourage or assist a suicide or a suicide attempt in England and Wales. Anyone doing so could face up to 14 years in prison.
Police officers complicity and wrongful arrest have lead to a number of people, as a direct consequence of the arrest, taking their own lives. Within the realms of the 'Act', this must be considered as assisted suicide? How many police officers have been prosecuted for actions transpiring in someone's death in the UK?