A LOVING husband filmed his wife’s death in an assisted suicide after she had suffered over 40 years of constant pain, a Huddersfield inquest heard.

Mrs Margaret Bateman, 62, experienced pain for years before being eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia – 10 years before her death. Her misery was made even worse by a fall she suffered from an assisted chair in 2007.

She became so desperate that she asked husband of almost 40 years Michael to help her die.

The heartbreaking death occurred in October, 2009, after pain-ridden Margaret slowly passed away with the help of Michael at their home in Batley.

There was an investigation by West Yorkshire Police following the death, but the Crown Prosecution Service eventually made the decision in May of last year not to prosecute him as it was not in the public interest.

At the inquest into her death deputy coroner Prof Paul Marks, recording a verdict of suicide, said: “Mrs Bateman suffered a long history of pain for over four decades due to a poorly understood condition.

“She expressed her wish to take her own life on a number of occasions. She was aided and abetted to commit suicide by a third party. I have seen the video of this woman’s last moments and it is one of the most distressing pieces of footage I have ever seen.”

In a statement read to the court, Mr Bateman said his wife was in constant pain after the fall.

“The pain had gotten worse all over her body. She was bed-ridden.”

At an earlier hearing, Mr Bateman had said: “What I did for Margaret was morally right and correct. It’s what she wanted. It helped her out of her suffering.”