Christian who smothered dying man jailed for life

A CHURCH-GOER who smothered a dying devout Christian with a pillow despite her victim’s opposition to euthanasia has been jailed for life with a minimum term of nine years for his murder.

David Paterson was suffocated as he lay dying from cancer. Picture: SWNS

Cancer patient David Paterson, 81, was close to a natural death when he was suffocated by Heather Davidson, 54, in the bedroom of his care home on 11 February.

About two hours before, she had called Macmillan Cancer Support to ask if smothering her friend would make her a murderer.

She claimed it was a mercy killing, but she acted “unilaterally” without thinking about what he wanted, or the views of family and staff, Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday.

Heather Davidson: Jailed for life. Picture: Ross Parry/SWNS

Judge Simon Bourne-Arton: “You were only were saving him a few hours of suffering. In so doing, you deprived him of what he wanted most, a natural death. This private man did not in death have a private ending.”

Davidson had made complaints in the phone call to Macmillan about how the widower was being treated at Sowerby House, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, which the prosecution said were unfounded.

She wept in the dock as extracts from the call she made from her mobile phone during her final visit to Mr Paterson were played in court.

In the call, Davidson said her friend could not eat or drink, was “skin and bone” and was in a “dreadful state”.

She told the handler: “It might be better if I could put a pillow over his face.”

Later, she asked: “Would I be a murderer if I did that?”

The charity worker replied firmly: “In the eyes of the law, yes you would, yeah.”

Davidson said in the call: “If he was a dog he would have been put down months ago.”

In a macabre twist, the court heard Davidson has a previous conviction for trying to smother her neighbour’s dog. After an argument, she took the pet and taped a plastic bag over its head.

The dog was found limp, hidden in a bedding box by a police officer who managed to revive it.

The handler informed her supervisor during the conversation and the police were contacted but the call could not be traced immediately.

Davidson killed Mr Peterson despite knowing his religious beliefs, the court heard. They attended church together, sitting in the same pew.

Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting, told the hearing: “As a devout Christian, he had strong ethical objections to euthanasia.

“He had said it will be God’s decision and only God’s when it was his time to meet his maker.”

She felt he was suffering, although Mr Sharp said he was “generally comfortable” and had been prescribed morphine.

Suspicions were raised immediately after Davidson alerted staff that Mr Paterson had died, as there was blood on the pillow. A post mortem confirmed he had been smothered.

The defendant, from Sowerby, Thirsk, pleaded guilty to murder last month, after police discovered evidence from the calls she had made to Macmillan.

Mr Paterson was happily married for 51 years until his wife died in March 2014. They had no children but he was in regular contact with his sister, nephews and nieces.