Former Hobart GP caused elderly mother’s death in mercy killing, coroner finds in scathing report

UPDATED: A former Hobart doctor caused his elderly mother’s death, injecting her with a lethal cocktail of drugs – a coroner has found in a scathing report. More here>

Former Hobart GP Stephen Edwards, centre, with his father David, left, and mother Nelda, right.

A former Hobart doctor has been found by a coroner to have deliberately caused his elderly mother’s death, injecting her with a lethal cocktail of drugs.

On Friday, Coroner Simon Cooper handed down his findings into the deaths of devoted Sandy Bay couple David Edwards, 90, and Nelda Edwards, 88, who married in 1948 and died within two days of each other in March 2016.

Mr Cooper said while Mr Edwards had died of natural causes - namely lymphoma - the same could not be said for Mrs Edwards.

The coroner said one of the pair’s four sons, Stephen Edwards, injected his mother with lethal doses of midazolam and morphine “with the express intention of causing his mother’s death”.

Mr Cooper also said Stephen Edwards was “deliberately lying” while giving evidence at the Hobart inquest, which was held in October and November last year, and January this year.

The inquest heard that Mrs Edwards - distraught by the recent deaths of her husband and eldest son - apparently “wanted to die”, and that the elderly couple had a “death pact”.

Mr Cooper rejected Stephen’s claims that he only gave his mother a “cocktail” of drugs of dependence to help her sleep, and for back pain - finding he had lied about his true motivations.

“In my assessment, Stephen Edwards, when giving his evidence, was frequently querulous, argumentative and indeed arrogant,” he said.

“I have no hesitation in concluding he was lying – not mistaken or confused, but deliberately lying – during his evidence at the inquest in relation to his involvement in his mother’s death, and in particular his motivation for administering large doses of opiates and benzodiazepines to her.”

The Edwards’ youngest son, Leigh, told jouranlists he “absolutely” supported his brother, former doctor Stephen Edwards. Picture: Linda Higginson

Stephen Edwards was previously charged with murdering his mother in an alleged mercy killing, arrested in coastal New South Wales and extradited to Tasmania.

However, the charge against him was dropped when it became apparent he himself was “gravely ill” with cancer.

Stephen Edwards was never charged with causing his father’s death.

Stephen, and his older brother Robert, were also jointly charged with obstructing or perverting the course of justice by “providing misleading information about the cause and circumstances” of their mothers’s death - but this charge was also later dropped against both men.

In his findings, Mr Cooper said one of the four sons, Glendon, had died in Thailand on February 20, 2016, with his body missing for three days.

“The news was a terrible shock to them both,” he said, noting Mr Edwards’ health quickly deteriorated.

Mr Edwards passed away at home two weeks later on March 2, with Mrs Edwards dying two days later.

Mr Cooper said “some very suspicious circumstances” soon came to light after Mrs Edwards’ death, when an autopsy was conducted and it was found she died of mixed drug toxicity.

“In lay terms, she had been poisoned,” the coroner said.

“(Stephen’s) mother was not dying – as he himself acknowledged. She had no need of palliative care. Even if she did require palliative care, there were no circumstances in which her son should have been providing it.”

A murder charge against former doctor Stephen Edwards was dropped when it became apparent he himself was “gravely ill” with cancer. Picture: John Feder/The Australian.

He said when Stephen initially spoke to police, he initially denied knowing the cause of his mother’s death or knowing of any medication given to her, saying she might have died of renal failure.

The couple’s youngest son, Leigh, told journalists on Friday he “absolutely” stood by his brother.

“He did a marvellous job with my parents,” he said.

“I know how my parents died. They were of old age, they had lots of health issues.”

Leigh said his parents had stopped eating and drinking after Glendon’s death and “they were going to die”.

He said the charge of murder previously brought against his brother had been “silly”.

“I believe Stephen applied appropriate palliative care in the passing of my parents. Our family believes it, we believe it, the rest of it is noise.”

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