Sean Davison, a 63-year-old New Zealander living in Dorset, has broken his silence after being arrested on suspicion of assisting suicides at the Pegasos clinic in Switzerland — a case that could make UK legal history.
As reported by Times UK, police raided Davison’s home in July last year, questioning him over 29 alleged cases of assisted suicide. Davison, a former microbiologist, worked with Pegasos and previously with Exit International, offering logistical and emotional support to people seeking to end their lives at the Swiss facility.
“I enjoy helping people have the death they want — a beautiful death to escape their suffering,” he said, maintaining that his actions stemmed from compassion, not financial gain. He acknowledged earning money from his role but claimed he could make more if he returned to science.
Davison’s involvement in assisted dying began in 2006, when he gave his terminally ill mother a lethal dose of morphine at her request. That act led to his conviction in New Zealand. Later, in South Africa, he pleaded guilty to three counts of premeditated murder in similar cases and served three years of house arrest.
The Pegasos clinic is controversial even in Switzerland, accepting patients who are not terminally ill, including those suffering from long-term depression. Critics say this comes dangerously close to “death on demand.”
Currently under investigation by Dorset Police, Davison has not been charged. If prosecuted, he faces up to 14 years in prison but says he will plead not guilty. He hopes the UK’s proposed assisted dying law — currently limited to the terminally ill — will eventually be broadened to include anyone of sound mind.
“If the law is not challenged, families will keep living in fear of accompanying loved ones to Switzerland,” Davison said. “That’s just inhumane.”
