Tracy Hickman: Tributes paid to terminally-ill British woman who chose assisted death on New Zealand beach

Published

6 months ago

May 24, 2024

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A terminally-ill British woman who chose to end her life by assisted dying on a secluded New Zealand beach surrounded by close family and friends has been remembered for her “selflessness, intellect, and pragmatism”.

Tracy Hickman, 57, who was treated for breast cancer in 2019 only for it to return and aggressively spread last year, had urged the UK to change its laws on euthanasia before she passed away on Wednesday.

Having been given only two to three months to live, the Auckland-based marathon enthusiast was eligible for assisted dying under New Zealand’s End of Life Choice Act, which was introduced following strong backing in a public referendum.

An obituary posted on the website of the company where she had worked said: “Tracy died as she lived – on her own terms.”

It added: “In her words, it was to be a fast and gentle end to a life in which she’d always had her pedal to the floor.”

It also described her as an “adored colleague, a philanthropist, a respected business adviser, avid lover of chocolate, and so much more”.

‘An inspiration’

One of the many tributes posted about her said: “Thank you for being such an example and inspiration to us all on how to get the best out of life.”

Another person wrote: “Tracy, you have made a positive lasting impact on me and so many others with your selflessness, intellect, and pragmatism always shining through…”

Travelling the world, Ms Hickman competed in more than 30 marathons and eight ultra-marathons on all seven continents, from the Mongolian mountains and the Sahara Desert to Antarctica.

Even following the return of the cancer she achieved the personal goal of completing the Boston Marathon.

‘It has given me so much comfort and peacefulness’

Just weeks before her death, Ms Hickman said: “It has given me so much comfort and peacefulness since I made the decision.

“I would dearly like others to be able to continue to benefit in the same way.

“Also I am hoping that the upcoming publicity will help others in a similar situation to start conversations with their friends and family, and as a resource on how to deal with the difficult situation in which we find ourselves.”

Euthanasia has been legal in New Zealand since November 2021.

To be eligible for assisted dying, a person must be aged over 18 and must be experiencing unbearable suffering from a terminal illness that is likely to end their life within six months.

‘People should have the right to a peaceful, gentle death’

Ms Hickman had called on Britain to follow suit, telling the Guardian earlier this month: “Look at what New Zealand has done, and do it even better.

“There is a lot of focus on the right to life, but people should have the right to a peaceful, gentle death.”

Dame Esther Rantzen and Dame Prue Leith are among the high-profile advocates for assisted dying, while actress and disability rights campaigner Liz Carr and gold-medallist paralympian Baroness Grey-Thompson have spoken out in opposition.

Assisted dying is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with those convicted facing up to 14 years in jail.

In Scotland, it is not a specific criminal offence, but assisting the death of someone can leave a person open to murder or other charges.

Earlier this week, Jersey’s parliament voted in favour of drawing up laws to establish an assisted dying service on the island for terminally ill people.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK

UK

Home secretary to announce extra £500m for neighbourhood policing

Published

2 hours ago

November 19, 2024

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Home secretary to announce extra £500m for neighbourhood policing

An extra £500m of additional funding will be given to neighbourhood policing, the home secretary is set to announce.

Yvette Cooper will also lay out plans for a new unit to improve the performances of police forces across the country to end the “postcode lottery” of how effectively crimes are dealt with.

The Home Office says the unit will directly monitor police performance in areas prioritised by the government, including tackling violence against women and girls and knife crime.

The home secretary will make the announcements in her first major speech at the annual conference of the National Police Chiefs’ Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners on Tuesday.

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Ms Cooper is expected to say: “Public confidence is the bedrock of our British policing model but in recent years it has been badly eroded, as neighbourhood policing has been cut back and as outdated systems and structures have left the police struggling to keep up with a fast-changing criminal landscape.

“That’s why we’re determined to rebuild neighbourhood policing, to improve performance across police forces and to ensure the highest standards are being upheld across the service.

“The challenge of rebuilding public confidence is a shared one for government and policing.

“This is an opportunity for a fundamental reset in that relationship, and together we will embark on this roadmap for reform to regain the trust and support of the people we all serve and to reinvigorate the best of policing.”

As well as the new government performance unit, ministers also hope to improve the relationship between the public and the police by standardising and measuring police response times – something that is not currently monitored.

In the aftermath of the summer riots, sparked by the Southport stabbings on 29 July, Ms Cooper said respect for the police needed to be restored after the “brazen abuse and contempt” shown by the perpetrators.

She said too often people feel “crime has no consequences” and that “has to change” as she promised to restore confidence in policing and the criminal justice system.

Dr Rick Muir, director of policing thinktank the Police Foundation, said: “A serious reform programme like this in policing is long overdue.

“Too often in the past, officers at the frontline have been let down by outdated technology, inadequate training and inefficient support services.

“Until these issues are addressed, the public won’t get the quality of policing they deserve.”

UK

Post Office Horizon Scandal: Four suspects identified by police

Published

5 hours ago

November 19, 2024

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Post Office Horizon Scandal: Four suspects identified by police

Four suspects have so far been identified by police investigating possible criminal charges in the Post Office scandal, Sky News has learned.

Sources have said that among the offences being considered are perverting the course of justice and perjury.

Hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted for stealing from their branches between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon software caused accounting errors.

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The Metropolitan Police is a so-called core participant in the Post Office public inquiry and has been monitoring and assessing material submitted.

It is expected that the number of suspects being investigated by police could rise in the next six to 12 months.

More than a million documents are believed to be being sifted through and the number of police officers investigating the scandal has also risen from 80 to 100, with work across every single police force.

It is not expected, however, that any charges will be brought before 2027/28, and that time frame could be extended.

A Sky News source said the number of suspects was seemingly “just a starting point”.

A meeting took place this weekend between more than 150 sub-postmasters, including Sir Alan Bates, and the Metropolitan Police.

Sir Alan said he had been told by officers that “it was going to take a few years” and that there are “no restrictions on how high investigations will take them”.

He also said the priority for sub-postmasters was financial redress and then, after that, victims will be “looking for people to be held to account”.

A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: “Yesterday [17 November] we met with Alan Bates and some of the affected sub-postmasters to provide a brief on our progress and next steps.

“Our investigation team, comprising around 100 officers from forces across the UK, is now in place and we will be sharing further details in due course.

“Initially four suspects have been identified and we anticipate this number to grow as the investigation progresses.”

UK

British Airways flights delayed after ‘technical issue’

Published

5 hours ago

November 19, 2024

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British Airways flights delayed after 'technical issue'

A “technical issue” at British Airways has delayed flights, reportedly for thousands of passengers.

Travel journalist Simon Calder said on X: “British Airways IT system failure is causing delays of 1-2 hours on many BA flights this evening… As delays build up I fear there will be cancellations tonight/tomorrow.”

In a statement on Monday evening, British Airways said flights were “currently operating, but are experiencing delays” and that its teams were working to “resolve a technical issue affecting some of our systems”.

Later they said it had been resolved: “Our teams worked hard to resolve an issue we experienced for a short time earlier this evening.

“We’ve apologised to customers for delays to their flights and ensured they were able to reach their destinations as planned.”

Earlier media reports suggested dozens of flights were grounded and that communications systems were affected.

One X user pictured people queueing on the tarmac in Verona, Italy. “What has happened to the nations airline? Not fit for purpose,” they said.

Replying to another X user BA said: “Our website is down. We are doing all we can to return online as soon as possible.

“Hopefully not too long before the Captain has his load sheet. Thanks for your understanding. Have a good journey when it is safe for you to be airborne.”

A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said: “We are aware of a technical issue that British Airways are investigating, and we will be working with them to provide updates to passengers as soon as they are available. Heathrow systems are operating as normal.”

In June many British Airways (BA) flights in Heathrow were delayed by several hours by a “technical fault” with baggage handling.

BA said there had been a “temporary technical fault” which had disrupted its baggage system at the airport and had apologised for the problems it caused.