FORMER SAS SOLDIER WALKS FREE AFTER SMOTHERING TERMINALLY ILL SON
A former SAS soldier who suffocated his terminally ill son with a pillow was cleared of murder and allowed to walk free from court yesterday.During the trial at Lewes crown court, Andrew Wragg was given a suspended sentence for manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility after the judge accepted his wife had been "complicit" in the boy's death.
The judge, Mrs.
Justice Anne Rafferty, described the case as "exceptional" and stated that "this was not a mercy killing but a deed done by a man suffering from diminished responsibility." Wragg, 38, had worked as a private security guard in Iraq.
On July 24 last year, he smothered his son Jacob in their family home in Worthing, West Sussex.
The court heard that Wragg believed his son's condition, Hunter syndrome—a rare genetic disorder—had reached its final stages, and that his actions were motivated by a belief that he was easing his child's suffering.
The judge acknowledged the pressure Wragg faced, citing issues in his marriage and his experiences in Iraq, and explained that Wragg's confession influenced her sentence, which was two years imprisonment suspended for two years.
The court also highlighted the role of Wragg's wife, Mrs.
Wragg, stating that she was "complicit" and that she had removed the other child from the house to her mother's home after the killing.
The court emphasized that Wragg's actions were shaped by his genuine belief that he was bringing an end to his son's suffering, but that ultimately, "the end of Jacob's life was not in [Wragg's] gift." Wragg left the court without comment, while Mrs.
Wragg expressed her distress and condemned how the case was portrayed.
The article includes the transcript of the 999 emergency call made by Wragg on the night of the killing, where he states, "I've just murdered my son," and details of the court proceedings and the societal debate surrounding mercy killing and parental distress.
