Lesley Martin urged to choose home detention

By JAMES GARDINER

Jailed euthanasia campaigner Lesley Martin has been told to swallow her pride, drop plans for an appeal and apply for home detention.

Family, friends and supporters want her out of prison for the sake of her 10-year-old son, Sean, and her husband, Warren Fulljames.

Members of Exit NZ say Martin, 40, can also do more for the cause if she is at home and she risks losing support if the public perceive her as trying to make herself a martyr.

In the High Court at Wanganui on Friday, Martin was convicted and jailed for 15 months for the attempted murder of her dying mother, Joy, five years ago. That followed a trial that ended with a guilty verdict on March 31.

Although Justice John Wild granted Martin leave to apply for home detention, she has said she will not make her home a prison.

Her lawyer, Donald Stevens, QC, said on Friday he would lodge appeals against both conviction and sentence and apply for bail.

The application was to be made in Wellington this morning but now may not go ahead. Instead Dr Stevens will visit her in Arohata Women's Prison and discuss her options.

Mr Fulljames said he could not understand his wife's opposition to home detention and nor could anyone else.

"I'm really gutted. I keep saying, 'What about me and what about Seanie?'

"I have supported her totally through this. She is absolutely committed to the cause and she has done a lot of good, but now is the time for her to realise that she has a family that love her and want her at home."

Exit NZ member Bruce Corney said it was time for her to "pull her head in".

"She tested the system and the system's spat her back out," he said.

Martin had done an enormous amount of good for those who wanted a referendum on legalising voluntary euthanasia and the support had grown during her trial - but Mr Corney said he felt she had begun to lose public support.

He and Mr Fulljames thought her decision to go on television before sentencing and call for people to protest outside police stations was a bad move but Martin would not be dissuaded.

"It's not just about her," Mr Corney said. "There's a whole lot of other people involved. I think people have had enough of her."

He had told all Exit NZ supporters by email to write to Martin in prison and urge her to reconsider.

Mr Fulljames, who married Martin a year ago, said she could make herself useful by painting the new house they are building at the back of their present home.

She would also be there for the children. Mr Fulljames has two daughters from a previous relationship who sometime live with them.

He spoke to her by telephone yesterday and said "by her lack of reaction I know she's hating it".

He said Martin seemed to think there would be an outpouring of support or anger at her jailing. In fact she got just 16 emails over the weekend, all of them urging her to go for home detention.