British journalist sentenced for faking TV confession of mercy killing

UK reporter sentenced for fake mercy killing claim

LONDON — A veteran British TV reporter has been sentenced after he admitted making up claims he killed a former lover who was dying of AIDS.

A judge gave BBC journalist Ray Gosling a 90-day suspended prison sentence for fabricating his confession and wasting 1,800 hours of police time.

The 70-year-old Gosling drew media and police attention in February when he said on a BBC TV documentary that he used a pillow to smother his dying lover in his hospital bed to end his suffering.

He was arrested on suspicion of murder after he made the claims, but admitted to police after three interviews that he had got “carried away” in his confession.

The BBC apologized to viewers on Tuesday for broadcasting the claim.