Boy's death 'may have been hastened' by mother, inquest rules

Antonya Cooper admitted giving her son Hamish morphine "to quietly end his life" in December 1981

A terminally ill boy's death more than 40 years ago may have been "hastened" by his mother, an inquest has concluded.

Seven-year-old Hamish Cooper died at his family's home in Frilford, Oxfordshire in December 1981.

His mother, Antonya Cooper, told the BBC in July 2024 she had given him a large dose of morphine to spare him further pain.

Oxford coroner Darren Salter recorded a narrative verdict after hearing hypotheses from Thames Valley Police.

Hamish Cooper was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that mostly affects children, when he was five years old.

He was initially given a prognosis of three months. His mother had said Hamish was treated for 16 months at Great Ormond Street Hospital, extending his life but leaving him in great pain.

In an interview in July 2024, she told BBC Radio Oxford that she had deliberately ended his life.

She said that 16 months of "beastly" cancer treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital had extended his life but left him in great pain.

Mrs Cooper said Hamish had undergone 16 months of treatment which had left him great pain

Mrs Cooper was terminally ill with cancer at the time of the interview.

She died weeks later before police had a chance to formally interview her about the claims.

The inquest into Hamish's death heard it was possible she had "intentionally administered" morphine to end his life and that she had been reckless in administering morphine.

Other possibilities were that she had provided it as part of his expected treatment, or that she had had no involvement in his death, but had made the claim to raise the profile of her personal campaign in support of assisted dying.

The inquest heard from two now-retired GPs who both stated that it was normal practice at the time for relatives to be given quantities of morphine to be used in treatment at home for terminally ill patients, and that Hamish's death had been expected.

Recording a narrative verdict, coroner Darren Salter said Hamish's death was "expected and he was prescribed morphine at home, with an agreed medical plan for his mother to administer this as required for pain relief".

"Hamish died in the early hours of the 1 December 1981, due to acute anaemia caused by neuroblastoma, with metastasis.

"His death may have been hastened by morphine administered to him."