Doctor facing jail after she suffocated her terminally-ill dad, 88, with pillow in ‘act of mercy’

A DOCTOR is facing jailhouse aft suffocating her terminally-ill dada with a pillow successful an 'act of mercy'.

Dr Lisa Davenport admitted manslaughter charges astatine Oxford Crown Court today for sidesplitting her 88-year-old begetter Barrie Davenport.

The blameworthy plea, which was based connected manslaughter by crushed of diminished responsibility, was accepted by the prosecution.

Prosecutor John Price told High Court Judge Mr Justice Linden Barrie was "in the precocious stages of terminal pancreatic cancer" erstwhile helium was killed successful October 2022.

The tribunal heard the OAP was bed-bound, mostly unconscious and expected to walk distant shortly.

Lisa admitted smothering him to decease with a pillow to a attraction location nonmigratory wherever her begetter had been staying, and a manager.

Mr Price said: "The instauration of the prosecution lawsuit was the defendant's ain confession to others astir what she had done.

"The grounds established that from that day until the day helium died, helium could not person had a much devoted carer oregon amended familial attraction than was provided to him by this defendant.

"It was successful that discourse that she took his life."

The tribunal heard Lisa's motive was to enactment an extremity to his suffering successful palliative care.

Mr Justice Linden heard however 3 advisor psychiatrists examined Lisa aft her father's death.

Mr Price said: "Their opinions are unanimous successful uncovering astatine the clip of the killing, Dr Davenport was suffering abnormality of caput attributed successful her lawsuit to much than 1 recognised aesculapian condition.

"There was a wide past of objective signs and symptoms of the conditions diagnosed by doctors erstwhile they assessed her successful October and November this year."

He added determination is simply a "long established pre-existing history."

Mr Price concluded: "She was, astatine that time, incapable to admit what she had done. It was successful that discourse the reports were prepared.

"The psychiatrists were each of the sentiment that it had substantially impaired her quality to enactment rationally and to workout self-control and it provided an mentation for what she had done.

"Those opinions by the doctors seemed to the professionals, to beryllium of compelling weight.

"The prosecution formed the presumption that if this lawsuit went to proceedings the load placed upon the suspect to found this defence to the civilian standard, was apt to beryllium achieved.

"If determination were a plea of blameworthy to manslaughter connected this basis, the due people would beryllium to judge it for the reasons I person outlined."

Defence barrister Mary Prior told the tribunal Lisa's sister and member person "supported" her since the lawsuit started.

She told the judge: "You volition recognize this was, arsenic the Crown reasonably pointed out, a loving, devoted girl who was the superior carer for her begetter who had been unwell for galore years but terminally sick much recently."

Lisa was shouldering "the load of responsibility" due to the fact that Barrie had refused to determination into a hospice, the tribunal was told.

Ms Prior added: "Regrettably the conditions she has suffered from for galore years were not decently treated oregon diagnosed astatine the clip this was going on.

"We volition characterise this astatine sentencing proceeding arsenic a substance of mercy."

Lisa, of Washle Drive, Middleton Cheney, Banbury, Oxford., is owed to beryllium sentenced connected February 7, 2025.

She was released connected conditional bail.