Barrie Hepburn, 65, tried to amputate his 'useless' legs with hacksaw
Rob Cibik
when checking the archives via a Google Groups search. Note: another
article from The Scottish Daily Record ( http://tinyurl.com/6eggguv
) reports "And he packed a bag for a hospital stay, including magazines
and cake."]
Husband of Lily Allen's hypnotherapist tried to amuptate his 'useless'
legs with a hacksaw
By Paul Cheston
The London Evening Standard
23 Jun 2011
The husband of a hypnotherapist to the stars bled to death in his Mayfair
home after trying to amputate his own legs with a hacksaw, an inquest
heard.
Barrie Hepburn, 65, had lost the use of his legs after he was shot three
times at his holiday home in the south of France following an argument
over a neighbour's dog.
The retired property consultant, whose wife Susan runs a Harley Street
clinic for clients including singer Lily Allen, survived the attack in
2000 but his injuries left him confined to a wheelchair.
Last August he was found on the kitchen floor after using a hacksaw to
almost completely sever his right leg having tied a plastic bag around it
as a makeshift tourniquet.
He called for an ambulance and said he was suffering from heavy bleeding,
but slipped into unconsciousness and died before paramedics could reach
him.
Mr Hepburn, a sports car enthusiast, had often spoken of using self-
surgery to amputate his "useless" limbs, Westminster coroner's court was
told.
He had become particularly determined in the months before his death
because of difficulties he had getting in and out of his high-performance
Jaguar XJ saloon car, which he had bought the previous year.
Mr Hepburn, who suffered from diabetes, had tried to commit suicide twice
before, though his wife said his mood had improved in recent years. But
the inquest was told he had repeatedly questioned surgeons about
amputation and researched self-surgery on the internet.
Recording a verdict of misadventure, Westminster Coroner Dr Shirley
Radcliffe said: "I think it is quite clear he had no intention of taking
his own life. This was a tragic turn of events."
--
Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I
may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just leave me alone.