Anne travelled from Wales to the Pegasos clinic near Basel in Switzerland to end her life in secret, as ITV News UK Editor Paul Brand reports
An assisted dying clinic in Switzerland has helped a British woman to die without her family’s knowledge, despite promising ITV News it had changed its practices.
In January this year, 51-year-old Anne – whose surname we aren’t disclosing – travelled from Wales to the Pegasos clinic near Basel to end her life in secret.
Dyfed Powys Police says it is investigating the circumstances of her death.
Last year, ITV News exposed how Pegasos also helped 47-year-old Alistair Hamilton to die without telling his family.
Following our initial investigation, the clinic promised in May 2024 that they would in future always telephone a person’s family before carrying out an assisted death.
Like Alistair, Anne had no known terminal illness and her family believed she was going to Switzerland on holiday.
Anne’s only son had recently died and she is believed to have been suffering from depression.
“She was one of the healthiest people we know,” her sister Delia told me, sharing a video of Anne at a climbing centre.
We met Delia and her brother John at Anne’s home in Wales, where they were having to pack up her belongings.
“Anyone who loses a child probably wants to die and be with them”, Delia tells me. “But with the right help, she could have got through it.”
Instead, Anne’s family and friends learned of her intention to die via several ‘goodbye’ letters posted to them from Switzerland.
To Delia, Anne wrote: “Dear Delia, So if you’re reading this, I am no longer here. I have thought about this long and hard and need to find [my son] and ask him some questions.
“There is nothing you could have done, because this was my decision to go to Switzerland and be in peace… I can’t keep going and get older and older without my son.”
After signing her name, Anne added, “Sorry it’s such a short letter, I’m not even sure it will arrive before you hear from someone back home.”
Delia did hear from someone else first – another relative who’d also received a letter.
“I didn’t know whether to start grieving for her, or to start looking for her, I had no idea,” Delia told me.
Hoping that Anne had decided not to go through with her death after all, the family traced the postal mark on her letters and searched for Swiss clinics that she may have visited in the area.
They came across ITV News’ previous reporting on Pegasos, and immediately emailed the organisation to ask if Anne had visited them.
Delia received an auto-reply, saying the company would respond in due course but was experiencing “higher than usual demand”.
Delia wrote back, pleading, “She is my sister. Please tell me if she is there. We just want to know where she is, if she did it, or will come home to us.”
Two days later, there was still no reply from Pegasos.
Delia emailed again. “We are desperately looking for her… I’m hoping and praying that her letters are not true.”
The next day a Pegasos representative finally answered her emails to say, “We understand your concerns. I am meeting with the people that decide what we are allowed to confirm.”
Delia again pleaded, “Yes or No: Is my sister deceased or not?!”
Seven hours later, Pegasos finally confirmed what the family had feared.
“Anne has chosen to die,” they wrote. “She died gently and not alone. I hope her letters help you to accept this. All official papers and her urn will be sent to her brother John.”
Horrified, Delia replied, “This was NOT the right decision for her”.
But Pegasos insisted in its emails to the family, “Anne no longer wanted to live, she felt alone and superfluous. She also did not want to grow old. This is a free decision of a free person.”
They refused to reply to Delia any further.
“It’s absolutely devastated the family,” she told me. “It has destroyed us.”
“I dismissed it when I first heard it,” her brother John told me.
“I thought there’s no way anybody could possibly go through with it, given the circumstances.”
“Why do they possibly think they have the right to do these things without contacting her family? It just seems evil to me… not to give us a chance to speak to her,” he added.
Pegasos told ITV News that they had tried to phone and text John before Anne died, but John insists he never received any communication from them.
The journey Anne took is similar to the one we traced with Alistair Hamilton’s family last year.
He had also travelled to Pegasos without the knowledge of his loved ones, despite having no terminal illness or mental health diagnosis.
After his mother Judith and brother Bradley confronted the owner of Pegasos, Ruedi Habegger, in Basel, they were promised that Pegasos had changed its policies to make sure that it always informed the family that a loved one intended to die.
Specifically, Mr Habegger promised the Hamiltons that if a person arrived at their clinic unaccompanied he would stand over the patient and dial their family on speakerphone to check that they were aware of what was about to happen.
Yet in Anne’s case, no such call transpired.
Alistair’s 82-year-old mother, Judith, is heartbroken that Pegasos appears to have broken its promise to her.
“I am extremely angry. I cannot believe that despite what we were told, Pegasos have acted in the same heartless, cruel manner as they did when Alistair died,” she told me.
“I think they are despicable and should no longer be allowed to operate.”
Pegasos is not breaking any law in Switzerland, where individuals can legally be assisted to end their lives for any reason, as long as they are not being coerced.
Two of Anne’s friends also contacted ITV News to say that they believed Anne had a right to die without informing her family.
We tried several times to contact Mr Habegger to ask him why he appeared to have broken his promise, but he could not be reached.
Pegasos also declined an interview with ITV News but sent us a statement defending its actions.
“According to our protocols we do the best of our abilities that persons we assist have informed their loved ones of their plans to die. Should we have reason to assume that no information has been provided to close family, we will refrain from proceeding without credible proof that they are aware. This hasn’t been the case lately.”
They added: “We understand that the assisted death of a loved person is a distressing time for the family. We are very sorry if Pegasos’ actions or communications have caused further distress to any affected family member at any time and thoroughly consider all concerns.”
“Finally, we’d like to emphasize that – since our foundation in 2019 – all our actions have been in accordance with Swiss law.”
The Foreign Office confirmed to ITV News that it was aware of Anne’s case.
It told us: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who died in Switzerland and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Samaritans: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone), email jo@samaritans.org or visit some branches in person. Can also call the Samaritans Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day).
End of Life support organisations:
- Marie Curie 0800 090 2309
- Sue Ryder 0808 164 4572
- Dying Matters – support information for anyone approaching the end of their life, as well as supporting relatives, friends and carers.
- Compassion in Dying – Offer advice and support for people regarding end-of-life choices.
- Compassion in Dying Information line: 0800 999 2434 or info@compassionindying.org.uk (Monday – Friday, 11am-3pm) peersupport@compassionindying.org.uk
- Hospice UK 020 7520 8200
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