Carer who suffocated mother with dementia avoids jail in tragic ‘euthanasia’

A carer who choked his mother “out of mercy” has been spared jail.

Kevin Pearce, 60, cared for dementia and osteoporosis sufferer Eileen Pearce for 10 years before dying at her home in Bexleyheath, south London, in June 2021. Killed her at home.

He later called police to “admit it” and said: “She was in a lot of pain.”

The defendant denied murder but admitted manslaughter as his responsibility was reduced due to his severe depressive state.

Judge Alexia Durran sentenced Pearce to two years in prison, suspended for two years, at the Old Bailey court on Thursday.

She told the court it was a “tragic case” but added: “Mercy killings are not considered exempt from the homicide law.”

She said Mrs Pearce was a “fiercely independent” woman who had received “excellent” care from her son at home before the defendant became “overwhelmed” by the situation.

Judge Duran said: “I consider that in the extremely sad position you found yourselves in you decided that death was the only solution for both of you.

“I accept your good character. Your actions can be seen as an act of kindness.”

The judge also sentenced Pierce to 240 days of unpaid work and a 30-day rehabilitation requirement.

Earlier, prosecutor Jack Talbot told how Mrs Pearce was found dead in her bed at home on June 5, 2021.

The defendant told police he used a wet flannel to put his mother “out of her misery.”

He said: “Then I decided to kill myself but it didn’t work out.

“I thought it would only be fair if I did this to my mother. I had nothing and no one to live for.”

Pierce, who took early retirement from a railroad company to care for his mother, said “no one wanted to know.”

Pearce, who found a signed note on his chest of drawers, wrote: “I’m sorry but it’s all too much. Mum’s health, dementia and delirium following her recent hospitalization are really hard to cope with .

“I really tried my best. I took care of her for many years and no one knows how hard it is.

“Last night was just the last straw. That’s not life. That’s not my brave, beautiful, smart mom who gave up everything for her sons.

“Finally, I released her.

“Please forgive me. I do love her and I tried my best. Maybe I should have asked for help, but that was never our way.

“It was not right for me to continue and I accept that and have no regrets.

“I just felt like I was at the end of it all and it seemed like there was no one to turn to and no one who was going to miss me.”

In an interview with police, Pearce said his mother was a “strong person” but had been in “incredible pain”.

He said what happened was a “blank”, a “cumulative” effect, like “a whole pile of dominoes” and his whole life fell down.

“I did what I felt I had to do, and then I decided to go down the same path and failed miserably,” he said.

When asked if he had spoken to his mother to make a plan, the defendant said “it’s not something we talk about”.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mrs Pearce’s eldest son Terry Pearce said she had raised them alone after she split from his father in 1974.

He said she had “good morals and good manners.”

“Although I did not maintain close contact with my mother and brother, when I visited, my mother was always clean, in good spirits, and always cared for by Kevin.”

He called for people to “sympathize” with his brother, saying he understood the “stress” and “fear” of watching a loved one’s condition deteriorate because he cared for his wife before she died from cancer.

He said he could not fully understand the situation his brother was facing and asked the court to understand.

He wonders how his siblings found the strength to care for their mother during the Covid-19 pandemic, adding: “What he has done during this time cannot be underestimated.”

Defense solicitor Katy Thorne KC said it was a tragic but highly unusual case.

“We say that Mr Pearce did kill his 89-year-old mother during an episode of depression and that he had a loving and caring relationship with her at the time.”

She argued for the judge’s “unusual” probation process, pointing to Pierce’s guilty plea and previous good character.