The second coming of Hunter S. Thompson

Anita Thompson, the widow of 'gonzo' journalist Hunter S. Thompson (pictured), says that her late husband took the precaution of freezing some of his sperm before he died in 2005 and that she is now considering having his child through artificial insemination.

She made her claim in a largely overlooked interview with the Scottish Sunday Herald. "I could still have his child if I want to," she said, but added that there was "a long series of ethical questions" to deal with, not least whether she should attempt to raise a child without Hunter "being around". That said, "It would be beautiful, because he did want to have another child."

Anita, 36, who met Hunter while working as a nanny in Colorado in 1999, said that she and the author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - "the greatest book on the dope decade," according to the New York Times - had tried several times unsuccessfully to have children during his lifetime.

"We knew that one day, because of our age difference, Hunter would die and I would still be alive," she said. "We had hoped that I would have children and that they would be older by the time Hunter passed away, but we weren't blind to the fact that Hunter was 35 years older than me. It wasn't a constant discussion but it was something that we had considered."

The late author already has one son, Juan Fitzgerald Thompson, from his 17-year marriage to his first wife, Sondi Wright.