18/02/2010

Gosling Bailed By Police

A BBC filmmaker has been freed by police after he was questioned over the death of a lover who was suffering from Aids.

Ray Gosling admitted that he killed him in a documentary broadcast by the station earlier this week.

His lover was being treated for the terminal illness in hospital when he was smothered.

The unnamed man had been told doctors could do nothing more to combat the violent disease.

Mr Gosling, 70, was arrested on Tuesday. Police were today given an additional 12 hours to question him about the killing.

They had until this evening to either charge him or apply for another extension and have now freed him.

A lawyer for Mr Gosling confirmed this afternoon that his client had been bailed.

Digby Johnson said: "He needs some time just to sit and think it all through in the light of everything that's happened.

"It will be some days before he can say for sure whether he thinks it was a good idea or not.

"He's very surprised by the attention that it has drawn. Ray thought that this was a fairly short item on a regional TV programme and it really wouldn't cause many ripples."

It would appear it will be a complex inquiry, the police are interviewing a number of witnesses and going through a lot of documents.

During the documentary for BBC's Inside Out, Mr Gosling said: "We had a pact - he said if the pain gets bad and if nothing can be done, don't let him linger on.

"I picked up the pillow and smothered him until he was dead. When you love someone, it is difficult to see them suffer. I don't think it's a crime."

It is illegal to assist someone in taking their own life in the UK. However, following a decision by the director of public prosecutions last year, circumstances must be weighed to determine whether prosecution is appropriate.

(PR/BMcc)

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