Presenter in mercy killing claim to face court

Ray Gosling, 70, could be jailed for up to six months after prosecutors said they believe he lied during a documentary on death and dying.

The broadcaster and gay rights campaigner recorded a programme in February in which he claimed to have smothered a friend as he lay dying in hospital.

Speaking after being summoned by police in Nottingham yesterday, Gosling apologised but would not be drawn on whether he was telling the truth or not.

He could now face the courtroom situation of defending his actions by insisting he did murder the man.

His solicitor, Digby Johnson, said Gosling was the "author of his own misfortune" and he was glad "nobody has been killed".

Gosling said: "I'm sorry if the police think they wasted their time.

"It was a small item on a regional TV programme Inside Out, in my country, the East Midlands, to my people, with whom I have had an intimate relationship. It got out of hand that winter evening.

"I had had a week or two talking to people who had told me of the pacts they had had – some fulfilled with wives, lovers, husbands, who were dying in pain and some told me of pacts unfulfilled.

"I did not expect it to cause this fuss, I'm not joining any cause."

Gosling said his confession was a "moment" with an intimate audience on an intimate programme.

He added: "I know what some people say, that I said what I did for publicity to promote a book I'm writing. That is absolutely not true, I haven't finished the book yet. Some people say I did it to revive a dying career. I didn't.

"I said it out of my heart, out of my feeling for people who had told me their intimate private stories and it got out of hand and I'm sorry."

Gosling will appear before magistrates in Nottingham next month, accused of wasting police time.

The decision follows a lengthy police inquiry during which he was interviewed several times on suspicion of murder.

His solicitor, Mr Johnson, said: "We are delighted that nobody has been killed, secondly that he has not been charged with murder and thirdly that the pressure of the uncertainty has come to an end.

"When all is said and done, when you watch him walk, he is not in the best of health and, however much he may be the author of his own misfortune, he certainly hasn't benefited from this.

"He is desperately sorry for all the waste and fuss he has caused. The police allege that he got carried away and made this up and they have spent a lot of time and money disproving this."

Helen Allen, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "The police established that there was sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of proving that Mr Gosling's confession was false and asked the CPS to consider whether he should be prosecuted for wasting police time, given the amount of work they had to carry out to establish what had happened.

"After careful consideration of all the evidence I decided that Mr Gosling should be prosecuted for wasting police time and advised the police to obtain a summons to that effect."

Gosling will appear before Nottingham magistrates on September 14.

YOUNG LOVER WITH AIDS 'IN TERRIBLE PAIN'

Ray Gosling apparently confessed during the BBC East Midlands Inside Out programme and during news interviews the next day.

In the programme, Gosling said he smothered his partner because he was "in terrible, terrible pain". In the shock confession in the 30-minute show about death, Gosling broke down, saying: "I killed someone once. He was a young chap, he'd been my lover and he got Aids.

"In a hospital one hot afternoon, the doctor said 'There's nothing we can do', and he was in terrible, terrible pain. I said to the doctor 'Leave me just for a bit', and he went away. I picked up the pillow and smothered him until he was dead."