My family have paid ‘heavy price’, says mercy killing daughter

A woman who killed her terminally ill father as an act of mercy has spoken of the “heavy price” her family has paid after she walked free from court with a suspended prison sentence.

Dr Lisa Davenport, 55, smothered Barrie Davenport, 88, with a pillow at his home in Banbury, Oxfordshire, in October 2022.

A judge took a “merciful course” in imposing a two-year suspended sentence after Davenport pleaded guilty at Oxford Crown Court to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

Mr Davenport had been suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer and was in a great deal of pain during his final few hours of life.

Speaking afterwards, his daughter said: “I had to watch my father suffer and no-one should have to go through that.

“I accept that it’s against the law for me to have ended his suffering, but my family have paid a very heavy price.

“We would like now to be left in peace, to grieve and to start healing.”

The court heard that when Mr Davenport died, staff at his retirement complex and a doctor did not suspect foul play because his death was expected.

John Price KC, prosecuting, said the defendant had smothered her father with a pillow as he lay in bed before confessing to a friend and then a member of staff the next morning.

“Were it not for those confessions subsequently saying he had been unlawfully killed, it would have not been discovered,” Mr Price said.

“The evidence suggests that following his terminal diagnosis this defendant was a devoted carer of her father as his health declined.

“It is accurate to say that no-one could have done more for a clearly dying parent than she did.”

The court heard that Mr Davenport was in a great deal of discomfort and there were difficulties in getting his pain management under control.

“This background might explain why a devoted daughter did what she did to her father that evening,” the prosecutor said.

“The prosecution has always accepted that had there been a trial, it would have been the prosecution’s case that the motivation was clearly done in a ‘belief by the offender that it was an act of mercy’.

“This phrase is accurately describing her motivation for doing what she did.”

Davenport, who worked in the biomedical industry, was a single mother-of-two who described herself as a “functioning alcoholic”.

She was her father’s primary carer and was critical of the care he received in his final days of life, the court heard.

Mr Price said these criticisms were “unfair and inaccurate” and said they were not accepted by the Crown.

The defendant had been assessed by several psychiatrists and at the time of the killing was suffering from a mental illness.

Davenport, of Washle Drive, Middleton Cheney, near Banbury, had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter. She had denied murder.

Mary Prior KC, defending, said Mr Davenport was a “much-loved father and grandfather”.

“For each of them the loss of their father and grandfather is a horrific burden to bear,” she said.

“Each of them have indicated that they all loved their father and grandfather, and that Lisa Davenport worshipped him.

“And despite the fact she caused her father’s death, they all love her and support her and are here in court to support her.”

Ms Prior said there was no criticism of individual care workers, nurses or doctors who looked after Mr Davenport, but said he was left in pain during his final hours.

“It was extremely difficult for her,” she said.

“This 55-year-old woman who had never been before a court in her life acted to try and ease the suffering of the man she loved, and she pays a heavy price for that.

“She believes this was an act of mercy and that his life was shortened for a very short period of time – a matter of hours.

“She acted in seconds to do something that prevented suffering for minutes, hours or days.”

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Linden imposed a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered her to undertake 12-month treatment programmes for her mental health and alcohol dependency.

He also made Davenport the subject of a six-month home curfew from 8pm to 8am.

The judge said that she and her father had a close loving relationship and that in his final days he was in a “great deal of pain”.

“To your credit you did not say you were acting on any wishes he had expressed,” he said.

“There was no evidence of premeditation and I also accept your sole motivation was to bring your father’s suffering to an end, and acted because his death was close.

“No-one is permitted to take matters into their own hands and people that do should expect an immediate custodial sentence.

“In the case of murder, a life sentence is mandatory, even in the circumstances of a mercy killing.

“I recognise I have taken a merciful course. I have done so because of the mitigating features of your case, which in my judgment are exceptional.”

Published: 11/04/2025 by Radio NewsHub