Ham & High news round-up: Family speaks after woman dies following lethal injection in Swiss clinic

The Ham & High is out now.

The front page story this week is about former Hampstead teacher Elizabeth Coulouris, who ended her life at a Swiss clinic as she could not cope with the pain of old age.

She was not suffering from a terminal illness, but could no longer bear conditions including arthritis.

Her brother and niece have spoken movingly about Mrs Coulouris’ final journey.

In other news, a fugitive mother accused by a High Court judge of torturing her own children and forcing them to invent allegations of a Satanic child abuse ring has lost an appeal.

Ella Draper’s legal representatives claim she fled the country because she “panicked”.

This week’s edition also covers a coroner’s criticism of a mental health trust following the death of popular Camden hairdresser Michael Dickson.

He was found dead at his Bayham Street flat in February.

In an inquest last week, the court heard he had failed to attend a meeting, but the trust did not follow it up – a claim it denies.

The Ham & High also reports on the CPS apologising after a case against a man accused of stealing equipment from a Hampstead school collapsed.

A lapse in communication at the CPS meant their prosecuting lawyer did not realise – in the middle of the trial – that the school’s headteacher was not available to give evidence.

There is also a report about a series of blunders, which could see plans to build a world-class medical centre in the heart of Hampstead dragged through the High Court.

For all that and more, pick up a copy of the Ham & High, on sale now.