This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/8522425.stm

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
'Mercy killing' presenter bailed Shock at 'mercy killing' reaction
(about 3 hours later)
Broadcaster Ray Gosling, who said in a BBC television programme that he had killed his terminally ill lover, has been released on police bail. Presenter Ray Gosling did not think his decision to reveal on TV that he had killed his ailing lover would cause "many ripples", his solicitor said.
Mr Gosling, 70, was arrested on Wednesday morning on suspicion of murder after his comments were aired on the BBC's Inside Out programme. Mr Gosling, 70, was arrested on suspicion of murder and questioned on five occasions over 30 hours after admitting the mercy killing.
In Monday's documentary he said he had smothered the man, who he said was dying of Aids. He said in a BBC film that he smothered the man as he lay in a hospital bed dying of Aids "many years ago".
His solicitor said his client had not named the individual to police. Nottinghamshire Police said Gosling had been bailed to a date in April.
Lawyer Digby Johnson said Mr Gosling had been "very surprised" at the reaction the BBC East Midlands Inside Out programme had received after it aired on Monday evening.
'Taken aback''Taken aback'
Speaking after his release Mr Gosling's solicitor Digby Johnson said: "He needs some time just to sit and think it all through in the light of everything that's happened. "Ray thought it was a fairly short item on a regional television programme and it wouldn't cause many ripples," he said.
"It will be some days before he can say for sure whether he thinks it was a good idea or not. "The very magnitude of the attention really has taken him aback and has perhaps given him cause for thought in itself."
"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. Mr Johnson added that his client would be on police bail for the next couple of months while detectives sifted through documentation and interviewed other witnesses.
He added: "Ray is really shattered. He is delighted to be out.
"He has not slept a great deal and he has had a lot of things to think about. But he is cock-a-hoop to be released.
Ray Gosling's solicitor: "He's faced up to it and answered a great deal of questions"Ray Gosling's solicitor: "He's faced up to it and answered a great deal of questions"
"The very magnitude of the attention really has taken him aback and has given him cause for thought." "He knows it is something that will go on for many months and, in a sense, it will always be with him, but he is delighted to get a break at this stage."
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 programme, Gosling said he had smothered his partner because he was "in terrible, terrible pain".
"He now has to take time to order his thoughts and emotions," Mr Johnson said. Since then, he has refused to name the man involved but has insisted his decision to speak out publicly was right.
When previously asked whether his client had made the whole story up Mr Digby added: "It has been said and it is something about which there has been some speculation." Aiding or abetting another person's death is illegal in England and Wales under the 1961 Suicide Act, and is punishable by up to 14 years in jail.
In the Inside Out documentary 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." But Gosling was arrested on suspicion of murder and, if convicted, faces a mandatory life sentence.
Mr Gosling has previously said he would not name his lover or say when the incident took place. In the documentary 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."
He said he was aware of the possible consequences and had no regrets.He said he was aware of the possible consequences and had no regrets.
In the film Mr Gosling said: "It's a terrible situation. I loved him to bits.In the film Mr Gosling said: "It's a terrible situation. I loved him to bits.
"I picked up the pillow and smothered him until he was dead. When you love someone, it is difficult to see them suffer.""I picked up the pillow and smothered him until he was dead. When you love someone, it is difficult to see them suffer."