Key Highlights of the Case: "An Act of Mercy" or Unlawful Killing?

Dr. Lisa Davenport, aged 55, has received a two-year suspended sentence after admitting to killing her terminally ill father, Barrie Davenport, aged 88, in October 2022.

On October 17, 2022, she smothered her father with a pillow at his home as he was suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer. The court heard he was experiencing "uncontrollable" pain during his final hours.

Prosecutor John Price KC stated that staff at Mr. Davenport’s retirement complex did not suspect foul play, believing his death was due to natural causes when it was certified at 10pm.

Price revealed, “At about 7pm she had smothered her father with a pillow as he lay in his bed.” Davenport confessed to a neighbor and friend about the act shortly after, requesting her not to tell anyone.

The next morning, visibly intoxicated, she confessed again, this time to the retirement complex manager, which led to police involvement.

“The evidence suggests,” Price added, “that following his terminal diagnosis, this defendant was a devoted carer of her father as his health declined.”

Despite the difficulties in managing his pain, Dr. Davenport asked for more pain relief for her father. The prosecution accepted her actions stemmed from her belief she was performing an “act of mercy.”

Confession to Friends

After the incident, Davenport confided in her father's friend, Angela Pountney, stating, “Lisa said, ‘I smothered him’. I was shocked.”

Described as a “functioning alcoholic,” Davenport was her father's primary caregiver and had voiced criticism of the care he received.

Several psychiatrists assessed Davenport, confirming she was suffering from mental illness at the time of the incident. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder.

The Defense's Perspective

Defending her, Mary Prior KC stated Mr. Davenport was a much-loved figure and despite the tragedy, the family continues to support Lisa.

Prior emphasized that the pain Mr. Davenport endured during his final days was uncontrollable due to rapid deterioration and delays in medication adjustments.

“What she did was to end his suffering, minutes, maybe hours,” Prior said, pleading for leniency in sentencing.

Mr. Justice Linden imposed a two-year suspended sentence while acknowledging the tragedy's emotional burden on the family and the strong bond between father and daughter.

He remarked on the absence of premeditation and acknowledged her motivation to alleviate her father's suffering, indicating exceptional mitigating factors in the case.