Heartbreaking moment mother visits Swiss clinic where son ended his life in ... trends now
This is the moment a mother visited the Swiss clinic where her son ended his life in secret despite not having a terminal illness.
Chemistry teacher Alastair Hamilton, 47, paid more than £10,000 to die at the suicide clinic – which then kept his death a secret from his family.
His distraught mother Judith, 81, broke down in tears as she visited 'cowboy clinic' Pegasos in Basel.
The Hamilton family only learned Alastair had taken his life at the clinic after police examined his bank account statements and found that he had transferred thousands of pounds to Pegasos.
Pegasos initially refused to speak to them about his remains, saying it was 'against our lawyer's recommendations'. Eventually the family received his ashes in the post - two months after he died.
Judith Hamilton, 81, broke down in tears as the held the rail of the stairs up to where her son's body was carried down after he ended his life
Chemistry teacher Alastair Hamilton, 47, told his parents he was visiting a friend in Paris when instead he was flying to Basel in Switzerland to end his life by lethal injection
His distraught mother was overcome with emotion when she visited the Pegasos site
The building (top, grey) is next to an asphalt factory in Switzerland. His mother said: 'It's not the best place to be for your last view of Earth, is it?'
Judith told ITV News: 'We weren't given that chance to either be with him or in my case, drag him home, tooth and nail if I had to.'
Standing in front of the building where he died, she added: 'It's not the best place to be for your last view of Earth, is it?
'Bless him. I just keep saying to myself, ''Oh Alastair''.
Shockingly, it took the persistence of Mr Hamilton's devastated family, the Metropolitan Police, the Foreign Office and Interpol to discover what had happened to Alastair after he vanished last summer.
She family still hasn't received the goodbye letters the clinic said he had left for them, or his personal belongings he had with him.
His distraught mother Judith Hamilton, 81, warned that other families should be aware of the 'cowboy clinic' called Pegasos
Alastair Hamilton with his grandmother Doris Robinson in 2017
Judith said: 'We weren't given that chance to either be with him or in my case, drag him home, tooth and nail if I had to'
It is believed Alastair ended his life in one of the upstairs rooms on the far right of the building, ITV News reported
In emails to Alastair's family, a frustrated Met Police sergeant criticised Pegasos's 'lack of compassion and lack of transparency' as 'completely unacceptable'.
Mr Hamilton told his parents he was visiting a friend in Paris when instead he was flying to Basel in Switzerland to end his life by lethal injection.
Alastair's family said they were prompted to talk about their devastating experience amid discussions around assisted death in the UK, where it is currently illegal to help someone kill themselves.
Under Swiss law, since 1942, people are allowed to help others to die as long as their motives are not selfish, such as for financial gain. Pictured: Alastair's mother Judith and brother Bradley
Alastair's family said they were prompted to talk about their devastating experience amid discussions around assisted death in the UK, where it is currently illegal to help someone kill themselves
Alastair's brother Toby, 52, said: 'I'm not against assisted dying but you can't let someone who is not terminally ill turn up and do this on their own, completely alone, and then completely disregard the family or next of kin. It's a cowboy operation. These people are cowboys.'
Mrs Hamilton added: 'Why Pegasos acted the way they did and agreed to help Alastair do this, I don't think I will ever understand.
'We're all still heartbroken and still have so many questions, but I'm not sure we will ever get all the answers.'
Under Swiss law, since 1942, people are allowed to help others to die as long as their motives are not selfish, such as for financial gain.
The law states that the person wishing to die must be of sound mind, but they do not need to be terminally ill or have any medical conditions. The country's assisted suicide clinics are non-profit organisations.
Its most famous clinic, Dignitas – where at least 540 Britons have died in the past 20 years – has strict rules that its clients must be terminally ill, suffering extreme pain or living with an 'unendurable disability'.
But Pegasos, run by activist Ruedi Habegger, says its users do not need to be ill to kill themselves. Its website says it will approve someone's death request 'in as little as a few weeks' as long as they are aged over 18.
Alastair's family said he had been battling with low moods since 2022, when he began losing weight and feeling increasingly tired.
His family were unaware and were stone-walled for weeks by the clinic before finding out what had happened to Alistair
Alastair Hamilton (second on left) and his five brothers in 2007
The 47-year-old schoolteacher with no diagnosed illness paid more than £10,000 to die at a Swiss suicide clinic – which then kept his death a secret from his family
Alastair Hamilton with his niece in 2015
Alastair Hamilton in 2007 with brothers Rupert, Bradley, Alastair, Toby and Russell, at
