'I was fine with it… until it happened': Husband who helped his wife end her own life reveals their final moments together in gut-wrenching interview
- A man who helped his wife end her life revealed their final moments together
- Neil O'Riordan received charges of assisted suicide after his wife died this year
- Penelope Blume took her own life after suffering from motor neurone disease
- Prosecutors dropped charges after saying he acted out of love and compassion
A man who helped his terminally-ill wife of 25 years end her own life has revealed the final moments the pair shared together in a heartbreaking interview.
Penelope Blume was suffering from advanced motor neurone disease before dying in her husband Neil O'Riordan's arms this year.
The couple shared an emotional final dinner during their last night together at their home in Canberra.
Mr O'Riordan, 63, was accused of assisted suicide after his wife's death, but the charge was dropped on Tuesday as his actions were found to be motivated by 'love and compassion'.
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Penelope Blume and Neil O'Riordan (pictured) were married for 25 years before she took her own life after suffering from motor neurone disease
The court heard Mr O'Riordan was against his wife taking her own life, preventing her from killing herself on at least one occasion and was cooperative with police.
In an interview with Channel Ten's The Project, Mr O'Riordan said he knew the consequences of assisting his wife with her death, but decided to proceed anyway.
'I fully expected to be charged and I guess at some level I expected to be convicted and I'm very grateful that the court made a different decision,' he said.
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When asked what the couple's final hours were like together, Mr O'Riordan became emotional.
'She wanted to see the beach again, eat seafood again, difficult to acquire in Canberra and mostly I guess we wanted to spend some time alone together,' he said.
Mr O'Riordan said although he was at peace with his wife's decision to end her own life, it was still the hardest thing he'd ever endured.
'I was perfectly fine with it... until it happened, and I was devastated. I wailed,' he said.
Neil O'Riordan (pictured), who helped his terminally-ill wife of 25 years end her own life has revealed the final moments the pair shared together in a heartbreaking interview
While the couple weren't secretive about their plans, Mr O'Riordan said he wished they didn't have to be so discreet
The court heard Mr O'Riordan was against his wife taking her own life, preventing her from killing herself on at least one occasion and was cooperative with police
While the couple weren't secretive about their plans, Mr O'Riordan said he wished they didn't have to be so discreet and hopes voluntary assisted dying will change in the future.
ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold told the court on Tuesday he decided not to proceed with the case saying Mr O'Riordan was motivated by 'love and compassion' when he helped his wife have a 'quick and painless' death, as reported by the ABC.
Mr Drumgold said without her husband's help, Ms Blume may have suffered a prolonged and agonising death.
Mr O'Riordan said he knew the consequences of assisting his wife with her death, and decided to proceed anyway
'Although the evidence establishes that the defendant rendered aid to the deceased, the assistance offered was minimal, motivated wholly by love and compassion, and designed to ensure that the deceased's death was quick and painless,' Mr Drumgold said.
'Had the defendant not made minor modifications to an item used in the suicide, death would have still resulted, however, it may have been prolonged, resulting in a highly distressing process for the deceased.'
Mr Drumgold said it would not be in the public interest to prosecute Mr O'Riordan as the consequences would be 'unduly harsh and oppressive in the circumstances'.
'Although the defendant was present for the deceased's death, he stated that this was because he loved the deceased and did not want her to endure the trauma of death alone,' he said.
Mr Drumgold said without her husband's help, Ms Blume may have suffered a prolonged and agonising death
- Assisted suicide charges dropped against Canberra man who helped end wife's life - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- The Project on Twitter: "Imagine being faced with a terminally ill partner who’d made the decision to end their life. You can’t change their mind, so you decide to help fulfill that wish. Then imagine being dragged through the courts ...
