THE parents of a brain-

damaged man who died in

suspicious circumstances in his hospital bed were in favour of euthanasia, an inquest heard.

Gillian and Keith Winchester told

medical staff not to treat their son and not to resuscitate him if he suffered a cardiac arrest.

An inquest yesterday heard how the couple had ordered their son, Kevin, to be permanently sedated because they were disturbed by his uncontrollable fits caused by brain damage.

He was later found dead in his hospital bed. A post-mortem revealed he may have been

suffocated with a pillow.

Mr Winchester was 27 when, in March 1998, he attempted to commit suicide by taking an overdose of painkillers.

He was revived by staff at Queen Mary Hospital in Kent, but suffered severe brain damage in the process.

He was later moved to the Conquest Hospital in Hastings by his family so he would be nearer his home town of Bexhill.

On June 5, 1998, he was found dead in his bed.

Marks were found on his face and a pillow was found by staff near his bed.

Speaking at yesterday's inquest in Hastings, hospital staff

told how they were aware Mr and Mrs Winchester had strong

feelings on their son's condition.

Staff nurse Jo-Anne Highmore said: "They could not come to terms with the situation and would prefer him to have died.

"They decided not to resuscitate in the event of cardiac arrest.

"Euthanasia was discussed and they said they were in favour

of it but they never said they wanted it to be carried out or for

any harm to come to him. They requested feeding be stopped but that was refused."

Other staff told how they considered Mr Winchester's death to be highly unusual.

They noted on the day of his death Mr Winchester had spent the morning alone with his son in the private hospital room.

Miss Highmore told how she had found Mr Winchester dead with his father still in the room.

She said: "I was shocked, it was not a death I expected.

"I asked Keith if he had done it. He didn't say anything."

Earlier, the inquest heard how Mrs Winchester had told her son's ex-girlfriend Amba Denham, the mother of his six-

year-old son Aaron, not to visit him in hospital.

In a statement Miss Denham said: "She was adamant we were not to see Kevin. She wanted us to remember him as he was. As far as she was concerned it was better if he had died. It was just

a case of waiting."

Mr Winchester would never have recovered from his condition, although his body was healthy and his life was not in danger.

Pathologist Dr Vesna Djurovich, who conducted the post-mortem, said she had found marks on Mr Winchester's lips caused by them pressing against his teeth.

She said: "I have formed the view he died from suffocation by obstruction of the mouth caused by something soft being pushed against the mouth.

"Little force would have been needed but the

critical element would have been the length of time."

The dead man's father criticised the expert for basing her theory on a "hunch".

He said: "I find it hard to understand how you have formed a case based on theory."

His wife, Gillian, said: "I find it difficult to understand that from the marks on the mouth you believe it is suffocation.

"Kevin used to have the most terrible fits. I witnessed two of them and on one occasion he actually stopped breathing. This could have happened this time as well."

The inquest is expected to conclude today.

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