The wife of a man who has been in coma for over a year is pleading with a judge to let her husband die.
Gulf War veteran Paul Briggs, 43, suffered a severe brain injury when he crashed his motorcycle last July.
The policeman, who was on duty for the Merseyside Police when the crash happened, has been in a coma ever since – and his wife now thinks the time has come to let him go.
Lindsey Briggs has asked Mr Justice Charles to look at the case, and decide if life-sustaining treatment should be stopped.
Doctors treating Paul say he is in a minimally conscious state, whereas another independent doctor has declared him in a permanent vegetative state.
A spokesperson for Irwin Mitchell, the law firm representing Paul’s family, had this comment:
“Mr Briggs is a veteran of the Gulf War and has been a dedicated policeman who lived an active life.
“His family strongly believe he would not have wanted to carry on being provided medical treatment in his current condition.”
Paul fractured his spine in five places, had a bleed on the brain and bruising to his internal organs after the crash in July 2015. He is now unable to speak, make decisions and has no independent control of his body.
However, modern medicine could keep him alive for another decade.
The spokesperson for the family said “Paul would have wanted medical treatment to be withdrawn so that he could pass away with dignity.”
The trial to determine if Paul should be kept alive is expected to take four days, and is taking place in Manchester.
A 26-year-old woman is serving a 12 months in prison after admitting causing serious injury to Mr Briggs by dangerous driving.
Chelsea Rowe drove her car into the path of Paul’s motorcycle on the night of July 3, 2015. It was found she was in his lane when the accident happened.
