Victorian man assisted sick father?s suicide ?out of love and respect for his wishes?, judge says

Victorian man Colin Stratton would have done absolutely anything for his family.

But after a lengthy battle against aggressive bowel cancer robbed him of the ability to do the things he loved, he asked his family to do something for him, the Victorian supreme court heard on Thursday.

Just a few days shy of his 81st birthday, Stratton decided he was ready to die.

He had seen his wife of 50 years, Suzanne, spend the final years of her life disabled and requiring high-level care after a stroke, prompting both of them to support voluntary euthanasia and join the Dying with Dignity organisation.

The court heard that on 24 May this year, Stratton went to a GP and asked for a suicide pill. Dying on his own terms was something he had wanted for a long time, so she wasn't surprised.

But when the doctor told him the paperwork would take up to two weeks, Stratton decided he'd do it himself.

Stratton left the clinic with his 54-year-old son Glenn Stratton. When they arrived at his home near Castlemaine, in central Victoria, he asked Glenn to get a .22-calibre rifle and bullet from his shed. Glenn protested, but finally agreed when his father said he would do it himself.

Glenn collected the weapon and loaded it, giving it to his father. But because of the length of the rifle, his father could not reach its trigger while it was pointed at his head.

"Don't make me make a bloody mess of it, I can't do it by myself," Stratton told the middle of his three children, the court heard.

He started counting again. Glenn told him he loved him. His father replied likewise. When the count reached one, Stratton closed his eyes, and Glenn pulled the trigger.

"The psychological pressure on you must have been enormous," the Victorian supreme court Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth said to Glenn on Thursday.

She said Stratton had always been there when his family needed him and in return they would have done anything for him.

"You finally pulled the trigger spontaneously out of love and respect for his wishes," Hollingworth said.

His family are highly supportive of him and his actions. In statements supporting Glenn they described their love and admiration for the senior Stratton, who was an important and influential person in their lives.

"They also understand how important it was for him to be able to end his life on his own terms when the pain and burden of illness became too great for him," Hollingworth said.

"They describe your actions in helping your father achieve his wish as loving, courageous and selfless."

Glenn confessed his actions to police and was initially charged with murder.

He spent 46 days behind bars, missing his father's funeral.

He pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting his father's suicide.

Hollingworth said there would be no benefit to him or society to jail him further for his actions.

She convicted him and ordered him instead to undergo counselling.

Stratton's family say they hope voluntary euthanasia will become more accessible so other families don't have to go through what they have.