F1 boss Max Mosley killed himself by shooting himself amid terminal cancer diagnosis
F1 boss Max Mosley killed himself by shooting himself with a shotgun after learning he had terminal cancer, inquest hears
Formula 1 boss Max Mosley ‘shot himself after learning he had terminal cancer’Westminster Coroner’s Court heard a note was stuck to his door on May 23, 2021 Inside the home, police his body with injuries consistent with a gunshot wound For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org
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Formula 1 boss Max Mosley was found with a fatal gunshot wound to his head after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, an inquest heard today.
The former president of the motorsport’s governing body FIA for 16 years between 1993 and 2009 died at home in Chelsea, west London, last May, aged 81.
The inquest heard that he was told he had just ‘weeks’ to live, and that chronic bladder and bowel pain would only lessen with palliative care but could not be cured.
A neighbour and his housekeeper called 999 after they discovered a note on his bedroom door, stating ‘do not enter, call the police’, the remote inquest attended by witnesses and family heard.
Officers discovered the body of Mr Mosley dead with injuries consistent with a gunshot.
Max Mosley, 81, was found dead at his London home on May 24 last year
A note found on his bedside table was barely legible, due to the large amounts of blood, but the few words officers could make out were ‘I had no choice’, Westminster Coroner’s Court heard.
Senior Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox said: ‘On May 24, 2021, police were called to the address of Mr Mosely, attended, and found him lying on his bed with a gun in the vicinity.
‘He suffered significant injuries consistent with gunshot wound.’
Henry Alexander, who lived near Mr Mosley, said he had accessed the house through the housekeeper’s basement flat after 8am following concerning text messages the night before.
In a written statement, he said: ‘I sent him a text at around quarter to asking if he would want his breakfast upstairs.
‘I rang him and it went to voicemail. I went upstairs and there was a note attached to the door reading ‘do not enter’ and ‘call the police’.
‘I dialled 101 and then called 999. I did not hear any unusual noises coming from the house.’
He added: ‘He had an aggressive form of cancer and had been down. He said he’d had enough.
‘We had been talking about the upcoming operation and he said he couldn’t face it.’
DC Ben Benlounes, who gave live evidence at the hearing, said he arrived at the scene at approximately 10.15am and spoke with the acting inspector.
He said: ‘During that time, the family’s doctor exited the car to say Mr Mosley had a large lymphoma which had been irritating the bladder.
‘He did say that the consultation was he may have two to three weeks left and this could have been the reason why he killed himself.’
The officer confirmed there were no signs of anything suspicious or forced entry and that Mr Mosley had possession of a gun license with four guns in the property.
He said: ‘On the chest of drawers there was a suicide note which was covered in blood. The writing was faint but I could read, ‘I had no choice’.’
The inquest also heard a written statement from Dr Christopher McNamara, a consultant haemotologist who first saw Mr Mosley in October 2019.
He said the former Formula 1 boss had been diagnosed with a high-grade lymphoma and that he had recommended a course of chemotherapy for prostate cancer.
Dr McNamara said: ‘At the end of the therapy he had refractory disease.
‘Over the next nine months, he tried a range of different treatment options – some of these were prescribed by myself and undertaken by Mr Mosley against my advice.
‘This included proton beam therapy and surgical therapy. During treatment, it was also discussed there was risk of developing a fistula. There was an enormous effort to try to prevent this.
‘Mr Mosley arrived at a point at the beginning of April when there was a shift away from treating aggressively and more towards controlling the disease and quality of life. I referred Mr Mosley to palliative care colleagues.’
He added: ‘Max had a terminal illness and accepted this would not be cured.
‘The treatment which had ben given to him recently was meant to control the illness. A fistula developed and he was extremely upset because of his quality of life which left him uncomfortable.
‘Mr Mosley had expressed ideas of committing suicide to myself and other colleagues and had been referred to appropriate colleagues.
‘He never expressed a plan of doing this and always said the problem was that his wife would not accept this.
‘He also indicated his affairs had been in order.’
Dr Rasha Al-Qurainy, who led his palliative care, said that Mr Mosley never gave any indication of suicide ideation.
Giving live evidence, she said: ‘He was talkative, a very pleasant gentleman. We were there for 45 minutes and talked a lot about his physical symptoms and other things like that.
‘He indicated no plans to end his own life.
‘On the contrary that he said he had plans to renovate the home in Gloucestershire, he was still seeking treatment possibly in the US, possibly in the UK, and others matters that he told me that he had plans to engage in.’
Emma Mosley, Mr Mosley’s daughter-in-law, gave a written statement paying tribute.
She said: ‘Mr Mosley died after a long battle with cancer. He was a barrister and amateur racing car driver.
‘Mr Moslely identified his major achievement as FIA president, the promotion of road safety by the European New Car Assessment programme and the increased safety and the use of green technologies in Formula 1.’
Mr Mosley, while celebrated for his achievements in motorsport, was a controversial figure whose father Sir Oswald Mosley was the wartime leader of the British Union of Fascists and a Nazi sympathiser.
A qualified barrister, Mr Mosley also backed calls for stricter controls of the media after the News of the World published photos and video of him at a sadomasochistic orgy with five prostitutes in 2008.
In 2018, it was alleged he published a racist campaign leaflet in support of his father’s Union movement in a 1961 by-election which linked non-white immigrants with diseases such as tuberculosis, VD and leprosy.
Mr Mosley said he did not ‘recognise’ the leaflet and it was ‘not something I would have ever wished to be associated with’.
His parents – Sir Oswald Mosley and Lady Diana Mitford – had a wedding attended by Hitler at the home of Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.
Mr Mosley’s parents were both jailed shortly after he was born for being Nazi sympathisers during the Second World War.
The inquest continues.
For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org
