81-year-old woman faces court over euthanasia ring

2 hours ago 1

By Rex Martinich

September 16, 2025 — 6.21pm

An elderly woman accused of supporting a dodgy euthanasia service that allegedly gave a man a life-ending veterinary drug has been released from a watch house.

Elaine Arch-Rowe, 81, was one of three people – including a father and son – charged after a police probe into the alleged assisted suicide of a Gold Coast man, with about 20 other deaths being investigated.

She is accused of assisting Brett Daniel Taylor, 53, with his end-of-life business, which allegedly gave the victim a veterinary euthanasia drug sourced under false pretences via a whale charity.

Elaine Arch-Rowe, who is accused of attempting to aid suicide, was released on bail.

The other accused man is Taylor’s 80-year-old father, police said.

Arch-Rowe – a long-time supporter of Philip Nitschke’s pro-euthanasia group – was released from the Southport watch house on Tuesday after being granted bail, despite opposition from the prosecution.

Police prosecutor Casey-Lee Beck told Southport Magistrates Court there were recorded conversations between Arch-Rowe and an undercover operative about allegedly supplying animal euthanasia drugs to kill people.

Brett Daniel Taylor, 53, is accused of running an end-of-life business.

A coroner ordered a police investigation after a post-mortem examination of the Gold Coast man, who died in April, revealed a lethal dose of the life-ending animal drug pentobarbitone as his cause of death.

The drug is tightly controlled in Queensland and police charged the trio after an extensive probe into the man’s health record and medical treatment.

The police investigation has been widened to include other deaths dating back to 2021, with “around or greater than 20” to be probed.

Taylor has been accused of sourcing the drug “under false pretences” by setting up beached whale euthanasia charity Cetacean Compassion Australia Ltd and accessing it through a lawful supplier.

Arch-Rowe sat in the dock on Tuesday wearing a light-blue prison-issue shirt and occasionally wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

She applied for bail on charges of aiding suicide, possessing and trafficking dangerous drugs, and selling potentially harmful things.

The prosecutor told magistrate Deborah Mitchell the first charge had been amended and Arch-Rowe was now charged with attempting to aid in the suicide of a woman working undercover for police.

Mitchell heard Arch-Rowe had told co-accused Taylor by phone she “always tried to give people knowledge to access end-of-life products that will work”.

Police also accused Arch-Rowe of discussing how to obtain two types of fatal drug, and how “to get access to the product from the manufacturer we need to give a large percentage to be used legitimately”.

Arch-Rowe’s lawyer, Michael McMillan, told Mitchell it sounded like evidence only of drug supply.

“There’s nothing there about killing people,” he said.

Arch-Rowe had no criminal record and had strong links to her local community, he said.

Mitchell said she could not describe the prosecution case against Arch-Rowe as weak.

But before granting bail, she said Arch-Rowe was facing the possibility of spending more time on remand than any sentence she would likely receive if found guilty.

McMillan said his client would plead not guilty.

“The case against her for aiding suicide was very weak,” he said outside court.

“[The prosecution] can’t demonstrate when she was engaged in conversations with the undercover operative, or that the operative said at any stage, ‘I’m intending to kill myself and I want you to supply these drugs’.”

McMillan was asked by journalists about his client’s lengthy involvement in Exit International, Nitschke’s pro-euthanasia group that has faced multiple police investigations.

“Plenty of people have these views,” he said.

Nitschke is not accused of any wrongdoing in this case.

Arch-Rowe was banned from contacting her two co-accused, possessing illegal assisted suicide drugs, or participating in Exit International.

Her case will return to court on October 17, while Taylor was due to reappear on Thursday.

If you, or someone you know, needs support you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

AAP