Mercy-killing father admits daughter's manslaughter

A British father has pleaded guilty to helping his suicidal mentally-ill daughter to end her life.

Father-of-two James Lawson, 52, of Hove, West Sussex, helped his daughter, Sarah, 22, take a drugs overdose, which failed to kill her.

He then placed a plastic bag over her head, before using a pillow over her face and his hand to suffocate her.

The roof tiler denied the murder but changed his plea before the start of a trial at Maidstone Crown Court in Kent, to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The court heard that his daughter had suffered from manic depression for more than 10 years and had a long history of self-abuse and trying to commit suicide.

It had started through an obsession with the Manic Street Preachers' guitarist, Richie Edwards.

The guitarist was known to harm himself and is believed to have committed suicide by throwing himself from a bridge, the court heard.

Lawson told police he had taken part in the mercy killing as his family could take no more and he felt the NHS had repeatedly failed to help his daughter.