The family of Tony Nicklinson who battled for the right to have someone kill him returned to the Appeal Courts in London yesterday, six months after he died.
Jane Nicklinson and her daughters Lauren and Beth took on the legal challenge to change the law on assisted dying first fought by Melksham rugby player Tony Nicklinson, who died last August eight days after losing the original case.
The Nicklinsons are now appealing that judgement which broke the 58-year-old's heart, and have been joined by two other paralysed men, Paul Lamb, 57, of Leeds, and a man known as 'Martin', who suffers from a similar locked-in syndrome as Mr Nicklinson.
Jane Nicklinson said she was 'excited' to be back in court fighting for something her late husband so badly wanted – the ability for people who want to end their own lives but physically cannot to be legally helped to die by medical professionals.
In the end, broken by the High Court's refusal to grant that wish last summer, Mr Nicklinson refused food, contracted pneumonia and refused medication, and died eight days later.
Mrs Nicklinson said it was 'part of Tony's legacy' to continue the fight. "We are really excited that we are back in court and hopeful that we will win the appeal," she said.
"We are hoping that the judges will see that we didn't get a fair hearing last time and that we should get the case heard again. We feel our case wasn't properly heard," she added. The case is expected to take several days, with the Nicklinsons and the other two men backed by the British Humanist Association.
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