A GP dubbed ‘doctor death’ failed to bring his ‘suicide collar’ into Britain amid fears it would be seized by customs.

Hugely controversial Dr Philip Mitschke said he feared it being confiscated so instead left it in Holland before making the trip to Britain for a talk.

MPs and campaigners had called on the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to ban Dr Mitschke from even being allowed to enter Britain.

He had planned to do a live demonstration of the Kairos ‘suicide collar’ at an event in London on Saturday.

The Australian spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail at a packed event, held just six days before MPs vote at Second Reading on Lauren Edwards’ revived assisted dying Bill.

He was on stage at an Exit Workshop in west London, which was packed, with almost every seat taken by a largely elderly audience who were considering assisted suicide.

Dr Nitschke, the controversial founder of Swiss euthanasia organisation Exit International, defended the device.

The collar, called ‘Kairos’, consists of two balloons that exert pressure on the carotid artery, leading first to unconsciousness and then to death.

Dr Philip Mitschke – also known as ‘Dr Death – did not bring his ‘suicide collar’ into Britain (pictured) amid fears it would be seized by customs

The collar, called ‘Kairos’, consists of two balloons that exert pressure on the carotid artery, leading first to unconsciousness and then to death (Pictured: A model of the ‘Kairos’ collar)

Earlier this year, Dr Nitschke said that he would conduct the first assisted suicide using the collar on a woman in Switzerland who would be his first ‘test subject’.

Devices could be legal to use for assisted suicides here if new Bill passes.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘I have left the device in the Netherlands. I feared it would be stopped at customs. We are under pressure from authorities about what they call “giving dangerous information to vulnerable people”.

‘It’s a difficult environment.

‘The device is not expensive to make but we are currently in the testing phase and it would be a real setback to lose it.’

Dr Nitschk shrugged off the controversy around his visit and the device itself.

He said that the interest in his device and the visit to London was the result of the political deadlock over legalising assisted dying.

He said: ‘People are a little worried or frustrated by the slow pace of legislated change in the country. So they often look around and ask what else is available.’

Dr Nitschk said he would conduct the first assisted suicide using the collar on a woman in Switzerland who would be his first ‘test subject’

Dr Nitschk shrugged off any controversy surrounding the collar (Pictured: Dr Nitschke lies down in a ‘suicide pod’ in 2024)

Carlos Cabrera, a representative from the Swiss euthanasia clinic, Athanasios, also spoke at the event, explaining the process of an assisted suicide in the country.

He said: ‘The Swiss have a unique law and don’t restrict it to just Swiss nationals.

‘Switzerland lets other people benefit from this very progressive legislation.

‘When you touch the ground in Switzerland you have indirectly or directly the right to die.

‘We support people to die without selfish intentions.’

Under Swiss law, there are few restrictions on undergoing an assisted death, with a terminal condition not being a requirement.

‘When you have the mental capacity to leave this world, you can do it,’ Cabrera says.

Mr Cabrera told the Mail that between 40 and 60 people from the UK have chosen to end their lives through his organisation.

One relative of a person considering using the device, said: ‘My main concern about all of this is what would happen to us when we returned to Britain. What legal consequences would there be for going to Switzerland with them?’

But Mr Cabrera explained that he has never seen problems with family members being prosecuted.

‘All information on what happens in Switzerland, stays in Switzerland. We cannot give information to UK authorities.’

After the discussion about the option of travelling to Switzerland, many in the audience stayed on for a ‘do-it-yourself guide’ to assisted suicide given by Nitschke.

Participants had to sign waivers to declare that they had not been influenced by Nitschke in order to take part in the talk.

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