Graham Mansfield: Hale man cleared of terminally ill wife's murder

Graham Mansfield claimed a a joint suicide pact had "all gone wrong"

A man who cut his terminally ill wife's throat in a suicide pact has been cleared of her murder.

Graham Mansfield, 73, said he slit his wife Dyanne's throat at their home in Hale, Greater Manchester, in March 2021 in an "act of love".

He told Manchester Crown Court he had agreed to end her life before taking his own, but it had "all gone wrong".

Mansfield who denied murder and manslaughter was convicted of the latter by a jury on Thursday.

Graham Mansfield was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years

He pleaded not guilty to manslaughter on the grounds his actions were "undertaken through duress of circumstances".

Mr Justice Goose said it was an "unusual case" and sentenced him to two years in prison, suspended for two years.

He said: "The circumstances of this case are a tragedy for you and are exceptional in the experiences of this court.

"You were under immense emotional pressure. I am entirely satisfied that you acted out of love for your wife."

Mansfield said he killed his 71-year-old wife, who had cancer, months after she asked him to take her life "when things get bad for me".

The retired airport baggage handler told the court they were the "saddest words he had ever heard", but agreed to his wife's request as long as he could kill himself too.

Mansfield told a 999 call operator he had slit his wife's throat and injured himself

A jury of 10 men and two women took 90 minutes to find Mansfield not guilty of murder and guilty of manslaughter.

Mansfield was found lying in a pool of blood at their home in Canterbury Road on the morning of 24 March last year, while the body of Mrs Mansfield was slumped in a chair at the bottom of their garden.

Emergency services attended the semi-detached property after Mansfield dialled 999 and told the operator he killed his wife of 40 years the previous evening before trying to kill himself.

Mrs Mansfield had bled heavily from a 6in (16cm) "gaping incised wound" and her windpipe had been severed.

Three knives and a lump hammer were found near her body.

'Happy life together'

Mansfield was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and later underwent surgery for wounds to his neck and both wrists.

The court heard when police spoke to the couple's family, friends and neighbours after his arrest, they spoke favourably about the defendant and his "unswerving devotion" to his wife.

Mansfield told the trial his wife, a retired clerk, was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 1999, which led to the removal of a kidney in 2004, but had enjoyed years of uninterrupted good health.

That came to an end in September 2020, when Dyanne was told she had lung cancer, which had spread to her lymph nodes, the jury heard.

He said a week later, they were told the cancer had reached stage four.

Dyanne Mansfield was told she had lung cancer in September 2020

The court heard Mansfield had written a note which read: "We have decided to take our own lives". It also contained instructions on where to find the house keys and how to contact his sister.

A second note addressed to his family was also found.

It read: "We are sorry to burden you with this but there is no other way. When Dyanne was diagnosed with cancer, we made a pact.

"I couldn't bear to live without Dyanne and... as things got worse, it only reinforced our decision that the time has arrived.

"We hope you all understand. Don't get too upset. We have had a wonderful and happy life together."

Neither note was signed by Mrs Mansfield, the court heard.

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In arguing against an immediate custodial term, Richard Orme, defending, said the last two years since the terminal diagnosis of his wife, Mansfield "has experienced a living hell".

Mr Orme added: "He is fearful of being locked up in a cramped cell because he says the one thing that has been giving him peace and solace since the diagnosis has been his garden."

In a victim impact statement read out to the court, Mrs Mansfield's brother Peter Higson, said: "I miss my sister terribly. Her death did not come as a shock to me because I knew she was very ill and in great pain.

"However, the manner of her death did come as a shock."

Mr Higson said he understood the "predicament" the defendant found himself in having gone through a similar situation with his own wife.

He added: "I don't hold any malice against Graham and will continue to value his friendship in future.

"I believe Graham has suffered more than enough and he will never get over this ordeal."