'Suicide pact' mother held on murder charge in Italy

A woman who allegedly shot her seriously ill daughter as part of an aborted suicide pact is in jail today in Italy facing a murder charge.

Margaret Pringle Allison, 65, from Scotland, was arrested after the death of her daughter, Emilia, 24.

Ms Allison told police she had intended to turn the gun on herself after ending the life of Emilia, who suffered from the painful stomach condition toxoplasmosis.

But Ms Allison said she could not face it and instead called police to the flat in Alta Mura, near Bari in southern Italy.

An Italian police spokeswoman said: "A call was received from the woman to say she had shot her daughter and we discovered her dead body at the flat.

"The woman told us they had decided to commit suicide together and that the daughter had shot herself but had survived and not been instantly killed.

"She then gave the handgun to her mother and asked her to shoot her again which she did, and then she was supposed to shoot herself but instead called police.

"The woman said to us: 'My daughter was the first to fire and I, after seeing her in agony on the floor, took the gun and finished her off. But I didn't have the courage to shoot myself'."

Ms Allison said the pair had agreed to kill themselves because her daughter's condition had been getting worse, the spokeswoman added.

Emilia contracted toxoplasmosis while on holiday in Edinburgh five years ago and had attempted to kill herself with poison two years ago, neighbours said.

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite which can be caught by eating raw or partly cooked meat or through accidental ingestion of cat faeces. Symptoms include aching muscles and swollen lymph glands. In severe cases, the condition can damage the brain and eyes.

Ms Allison moved to Italy several years after marrying Gennaro Mininni, a flour mill owner. When police searched the flat, they found suicide notes written by the two women, one of which was addressed to Mr Mininni.

Investigating magistrate Giuseppe Scelsi said: "I have never had to deal with such a tragic case as this before.

"The woman is in custody facing a murder charge and now it is up to the law to decide what will happen."