Child expert grants dying boy's wish to have sex

Mark Chipperfield in Sydney

CHILD psychologists in Australia have condemned a colleague's decision to allow a 15-year-old boy with terminal cancer to have sex with a prostitute before he died.

The case has sparked an intense ethical debate while arousing considerable public sympathy. The identities of the boy, who died last week, and the psychologist have not been disclosed as the specialist concedes that what happened was illegal.