Teen sentenced for assisted suicide

A 17-year-old has been sentenced to eight months home detention for helping a friend take his own life, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind in New Zealand.

Dillon Gargett was sentenced in the Christchurch High Court this morning following the suicide of 16-year-old Ben Dowdell in September.

Dowdell’s body was found by a person walking through Bradford Park, Sydenham, early on September 4.

The teenager had been telling friends at least a week earlier that he wanted to die and had even offered to pay for a "hit man" to kill him.

On the day before his death Dowdell held a farewell party and talked about ending his life. It is understood he unsuccessfully attempted to kill himself at the end of the evening. None of those present sought help from an adult.

On September 3, Dowdell went to Bradford Park at about 6.30pm with three others, including Gargett. All were in the park when he died but again no one sought help.

Gargett even denied knowing where Dowdell was later that evening, when his father rang looking for him.

In an interview published in a Christchurch newspaper last year, Gargett’s mother said her son initially did not believe he had done anything wrong because Dowdell wanted to die. However, he later wrote a letter of apology to his family.

- © Fairfax NZ News