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Devoted husband who strangled wife in his sleep walks free from court
Prosecution drops case against chronic sleep disorder sufferer who killed wife during bad dream on holiday
A "decent and devoted" husband who strangled his wife while he dreamt she was a intruder has been cleared of murder after the Crown Prosecution Service accepted he had not been in control of his actions but was not a danger to anyone else.
Thomas, a retired steelworker from Neath in south Wales, will be advised to seek treatment for his condition. Friends and family said he was devastated by the loss of his beloved wife of almost 40 years. In court he was described as a "broken man" who might try to harm himself. Since he was a child Thomas had been prone to sleepwalking and other sleep disorders. At home he and his wife slept in separate bedrooms but shared a double bed when they went away in their campervan.
At the start of the trial the prosecution said it was a "unique" case. It accepted Thomas should be found not guilty but initially called for a special verdict of not guilty due to insanity, which would have meant he could have been held in a secure psychiatric hospital. The law dictates that this is a verdict that cannot be determined by anyone other than a jury, which is why the case had to go to court.
But in the end the CPS decided to offer no more evidence and the jury returned a straightforward verdict of not guilty.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/no...angler-tragedy
Prosecution drops case against chronic sleep disorder sufferer who killed wife during bad dream on holiday
A "decent and devoted" husband who strangled his wife while he dreamt she was a intruder has been cleared of murder after the Crown Prosecution Service accepted he had not been in control of his actions but was not a danger to anyone else.
Thomas, a retired steelworker from Neath in south Wales, will be advised to seek treatment for his condition. Friends and family said he was devastated by the loss of his beloved wife of almost 40 years. In court he was described as a "broken man" who might try to harm himself. Since he was a child Thomas had been prone to sleepwalking and other sleep disorders. At home he and his wife slept in separate bedrooms but shared a double bed when they went away in their campervan.
At the start of the trial the prosecution said it was a "unique" case. It accepted Thomas should be found not guilty but initially called for a special verdict of not guilty due to insanity, which would have meant he could have been held in a secure psychiatric hospital. The law dictates that this is a verdict that cannot be determined by anyone other than a jury, which is why the case had to go to court.
But in the end the CPS decided to offer no more evidence and the jury returned a straightforward verdict of not guilty.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/no...angler-tragedy