AN ANTHROPOLOGIST who accompanied a British woman to Switzerland for assisted suicide has launched a high court claim against Dyfed-Powys Police. Miranda Tuckett, who was conducting doctoral research on Britons travelling to Switzerland to end their lives, is suing for false imprisonment, breach of academic freedoms, and assault and battery.
Tuckett was arrested in London by four officers and driven overnight to a west Wales police station. There, she was held in a cell for 11 hours before undergoing a six-month investigation. This incident has also drawn in Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who intervened in his then capacity as a constituency MP, urging the police to release Tuckett.
The woman Tuckett was studying, Sharon Johnston, 59, had been paralysed in a fall and chose assisted suicide to avoid a life dependent on constant care. Tuckett accompanied her to Switzerland as part of her PhD research at a New York university.
Evidence collected by the police included taxi records, CCTV from Johnston’s care home, and national traffic cameras. Tuckett was arrested on suspicion of assisting suicide, a charge that can carry a penalty of up to 14 years in prison.
On 15 February 2022, after returning from Zurich where she witnessed Johnston’s death, Tuckett was detained by officers in North London. They seized her computer and research materials, transporting her five hours to Wales. There, she was fingerprinted, held “incommunicado,” and questioned.
Dyfed-Powys Police had previously issued a missing persons report when Johnston left her care home, repeatedly contacting her during her journey to Switzerland. Swiss authorities were even alerted, resulting in armed police visiting the Dignitas facility a day before Johnston’s death.
Despite multiple assurances from Johnston that her decision was voluntary, Tuckett claims the police interference caused Johnston significant distress in her final days. Tuckett noted that Johnston’s demeanour changed after the police calls, describing her as stressed and flustered.
Another individual, Sue Lawford, who accompanied Johnston and supports the pro-assisted dying campaign group My Death, My Decision, was also arrested. She is suing the police for unlawful arrest, highlighting the National Police Chiefs’ Council guidelines which recommend interviewing suspects under caution as voluntary attendees rather than arresting them.
This case underscores the inconsistent application of UK assisted dying laws. While some individuals face no police scrutiny, others are subject to intense investigations, reflecting the tension between public interest considerations and the legal prohibition of assisting suicide in England and Wales.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, then Leader of the Opposition, wrote to the Dyfed-Powys Chief Constable expressing his concerns about Tuckett’s detention. He argued that the case did not meet the Crown Prosecution Service’s public interest test for assisted suicide charges.
Downing Street has declined to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings. Starmer, who has previously expressed personal support for changing assisted dying laws, promised a free vote in parliament on the issue.
Despite police logs indicating that Johnston had full capacity and was not coerced, Dyfed-Powys Police proceeded with Tuckett’s arrest. Tuckett alleges that the police’s conduct caused her psychiatric injury, humiliation, and a significant delay in her academic work due to the confiscation of her research materials.
Nathan Stilwell, a spokesperson for My Death, My Decision, criticised the police’s actions, stating: “The treatment of Sue and Miranda was wrong – indeed, it went against the police’s own guidance at the time. Nobody who acts out of compassion for someone in need should face such drastic consequences.”
A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police stated: “In February 2022 two women were arrested on suspicion of encouraging suicide following the death of Sharon Johnston. They were arrested after enquiries were commenced in Cardigan into reports of a female missing from her home. Following an investigation, the two women were told they would face no further action in August 2022. Further comment would be inappropriate due to the ongoing litigation.”
