- A person commits an offence under section 2 of the Suicide Act 1961 if he or she does an act capable of encouraging or assisting the suicide or attempted suicide of another person, and that act was intended to encourage or assist suicide or an attempt at suicide. This offence is referred to in this policy as "encouraging or assisting suicide". The consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is required before an individual may be prosecuted.
- The offence of encouraging or assisting suicide carries a maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment. This reflects the seriousness of the offence.
- The case of Purdy did not change the law: only Parliament can change the law on encouraging or assisting suicide. [this one is actually 5.]
- This policy does not in any way "decriminalise" the offence of encouraging or assisting suicide. Nothing in this policy can be taken to amount to an assurance that a person will be immune from prosecution if he or she does an act that encourages or assists the suicide or the attempted suicide of another person. [this one is actually 6.]
Torn here, too, but only in that for some reason, I can't see this being a good thing here in the U.S. as a legal practicum/standard of prosecution. We manipulate the ever-livin' f**k out of everything here and this could so easily become a Pandora's Box for criminalizing just about ANY convo we had with ANYone about their suicidal ideations. Of course, the U.S. isn't the only country who does it, by far, but we're the champs when it comes to clever ways to twist and contort laws when motivated.
But oddly, in the case of this little psycho, I reeeeeeally like the wording in this U.K. prosecution statute because the way I read it (not saying I understand exactly how it's applied in the courts), it *IS* inclusive of her actions and TBH, the first thought that popped in my mind when I originally started reading this story was, "Damn, I wish they could at least pop her for Involuntary Manslaughter" (invol. b/c she had no
real way of knowing for sure if he would *truly* end himself via her encouragement/interest which I am
certain she was probably hoping for with giddy, dizzying delight). I also like
@TheMorningStar 's comment re: "Deliberate Indifference," though I doubt she could be convicted on it. At the end of the day, the courts generally say people have the right to kill themselves as long as they die. You can still be charged for it in many states if you live.
I also see how this could seem like Munchausen's by-proxy on an emotional level, but IMO, she's classic for a Borderline Personality Disorder for the same things everyone's already mentioned from being a do-gooding, "Suicide Prevention" glory hound to using her suicidal friend as her pet project to garner even more attention (used to teach a S.P. course for new cops, so I agree this is a cardinal sign of sociopathy, if not psychopathy). No matter which way he decided to go, she could definitely manipulate the circumstances into a win-win public ploy to gain support, sympathy and self-agrandizing popularity.
Who the hell knows what all she actually talked to him face to face about before the contradictory psycho texting came up? Borderlines are notorious for being so narcissistic they think no one will ever figure them out and therein lies their biggest mistakes. They can rarely even keep track of their own lies, let alone factor out the variables of how to properly cover their tracks. These contradictions are classic.
Though no one was very impressed with what
@JackBurton had to say, and I get that, I was actually in a situation as a kid where someone I was very close to whom I considered a best friend, had a mother with insulin-dependent diabetes and high blood pressure. Knowing what little I did about both conditions, mostly from my friend, I'd hit a suicidal ideation patch and asked her to swipe a bottle of insulin, some some syringes and a few blood pressure pills from her mom so I could just get high, overdose on insulin to take out my blood sugar and take my blood pressure down so low it would stop my heart.
I had told her the whole time why I wanted to just leave the planet (depression, self-loathing, misanthropy and hopelessness) and she kept saying she understood. Several days later, she came into my room after she got back from pass (group home) and handed me a brown paper lunch bag with my "suicide kit" in it. She gave me a hug, told me she "loved" me, then told me goodbye as she shut the door and left so she could come back and "find me" later (and clean up the evidence, of course). The fact she actually brought me what I'd asked for snapped me into reality. So, I liked his post b/c I know for a fact it *can* happen. I was able to convince her my life here was over, and that living with the emotional pain and despair I was feeling was worse than death could ever be. And, she said, O.K.
Did this nutbucket do that? I doubt it, but it *is* possible. Do I think it falls under "Assisted Suicide." Under U.S. law, not for a minute. That was NOT what this hard-fought, hard-won law was designed for. If that's the case, we'd have moody, temporarily depressed teenagers, even young children in some cases, grown ups, etc., who've broken up with their gfs/bfs, gotten in trouble with their parents, those in divorce and custody situations, etc., "helping" each other commit suicide all over the place.
As I said, I don't like what I personally see U.S. defense attorneys doing with it anymore than what crooked, win-at-all-costs, politically-motivated prosecutors *could* (and likely would, IMO) do with it. But, I do understand both sides of the argument. My knee-jerk reaction was some sort of legal responsibility until I heard some prosecutor in my head taking a convo out of context in court saying, "And, Miss So and So. Did you, in fact, tell Mr. So and So (suicidal) that 'suicide' would 'be a solution to his problems'? Please answer yes, or no." Defendant: "Yes, but I didn't mean..." Prosecutor: "Thank you, Miss So and So. No further questions, your Honor." JMO.