A paralysed man is taking up a legal challenge for the right to die with the help of a doctor, saying he should be able to end his life with dignity.
Paul Lamb, 58, has taken on the case begun by Tony Nicklinson, saying the “cruel” law that forbids assisted deaths must be changed.
Mr Nicklinson, 58, died last year shortly after he lost his legal bid to end his life with a doctor’s help, but his family won permission to continue his campaign.
Mr Lamb, who has waived anonymity to speak out, has joined the challenge, with the two cases to be heard in the Court of Appeal on May 14 and 15.
After being told he can take on Mr Nicklinson’s fight, Mr Lamb, a former builder and father-of-two from Leeds, said in a statement: “I hope that this is the next step towards the ultimate goal of changing this cruel law, which keeps people like me alive when I want to have a dignified death.
“To be given this chance of being involved in the case makes me very proud. I have always been an extremely strong character and when I believe in something, I can take on the world.
“So, for the sake of everyone in this country who deserves the right to have a dignified death, I hope that we can make this happen.”
Mr Lamb was severely injured in a car accident in 1990 but remembers virtually nothing about the moment that changed his life.
For the last 23 years he has been unable to use any of his limbs apart from slight movement in his right hand, is in constant pain and needs round-the-clock care.