TV Presenter Ray Gosling Arrested for Mercy Killing

LONDON, Feb. 17, 2010 — -- U.K. police today arrested award-winning British TV presenter Ray Gosling on suspicion of murder. This comes after the veteran broadcaster, based in Nottingham, England, said that he suffocated a former lover suffering from AIDS.

Gosling, 70, made the startling confession on camera, on the BBC television program, "Inside Out," broadcast Monday night.

The program focused on people faced with difficult end-of-life decisions, and Gosling said that listening to the stories of others compelled him to "share a secret that I have kept for quite a long time."

As he walked through a graveyard, Gosling said, "I killed someone once [...] He was a young chap, he'd been my lover and he got AIDS."

"In a hospital one hot afternoon, the doctor said, 'There's nothing we can do,' and he was in terrible, terrible pain."

"I said to the doctor, 'Leave me just for a bit' and he went away. I picked up the pillow and smothered him until he was dead," Gosling said.

"The doctor came back and I said, 'He's gone'. Nothing more was ever said."

Today, Gosling's lawyer Digby Johnson told ABC News that Gosling was "shocked" by his arrest. "He is having to answer questions about very distressing matters and is in an unfamiliar setting, in an uncomfortable situation," Johnson said.

The investigation by Nottinghamshire police is still in its early stages. In addition to questioning Gosling, police also spoke to BBC staff working on the program, "Inside Out."

A BBC spokesperson told ABC News that the corporation "broadcast Ray Gosling's revelation for reasons of journalistic integrity. We believe we have handled the report sensitively and appropriately."

"We kept him fully informed about our representation of his story in the report and he understood that a revelation of this nature could have a number of consequences."

"Since transmission we have been approached by the police and are cooperating fully."