Wife smothered husband: Why did Janet Dunn murder Anthony? Explained

Janet Dunn murder Anthony

Janet Dunn was sentenced to five years and three months in prison on Thursday after entering a guilty by reduced responsibility plea to manslaughter. Let’s see Janet Dunn murder Anthony.

 

Janet Dunn murder Anthony

Anthony Dunn, 81, was killed at their home in March, and Janet Dunn, 73, admitted to the manslaughter.

The couple had been wed for 53 years and lived in Beech Court in Ponteland.

Judge Paul Sloan QC at Newcastle Crown Court stated that Dunn had lost her temper because of her husband’s “coercive and domineering behaviour.”

 

What did Paul Sloan say?

He said that due to Mr. Dunn’s “reckless” financial behaviour, the family had gone through “one financial catastrophe after another,” including unpaid payments, fears of the family home being repossessed, and bankruptcy, forcing the pair to borrow money from their daughters.

 

Is the couple’s child die?

According to testimony given in court, one of the couple’s children passed away in September 2021, and by March of this year, Mr. Dunn’s health had gotten worse after suffering a heart attack. He had limited mobility and his dementia had gotten worse.

 

What did she say in her testimony?

According to testimony given in court, Janet Dunn entered her husband’s bedroom early on the morning of March 15th.

Mr. Dunn “smiled” and told his wife to “go ahead” after she explained that the couple would need to borrow money from one of their children due to their deteriorating financial circumstances.

You took that smile to mean that someone was absolutely heartless and emotionless, the judge remarked.

“It was the smile that finally made you lose it after years of acquiescence and cooperation. You finally let out the years’ worth of suppressed rage and frustration.”

 

What is Janet’s judgment?

Dunn covered her husband’s face with a pillow and choked him. After leaving the house, she made an attempt on her own life in Northumberland’s Bolam Lake.

Psychiatrists concurred that Dunn was experiencing a depressive episode and anxiety at the time, which seriously affected her judgement.

 

What did Judge Sloan say?

She had “an aberration of mental functioning,” according to Judge Sloan, who sentenced her, and the murder of her husband was a “spontaneous act” that followed “a prolonged period of domestic violence.”

Although they were never physically aggressive, the court heard that earlier in their marriage he had verbally abused her and said she would have to walk “on eggshells.”

Prior to her trial, Mrs. Dunn, who had been charged with murder, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the basis of diminished culpability.

 

What did the couple’s daughter say?

The couple’s daughters were reportedly “devastated and traumatised,” questioning if “their lives were constructed on a complete fabrication,” according to testimony given in court.

In his statement of mitigation, John Elvidge QC called the case “exceptional” and said that the “facts and context that have been unearthed are extraordinarily sad and upsetting.”

Added him: “Despite everything, Mrs. Dunn did care for her husband. She sincerely regrets taking his life as well as what she did to their daughters.”

Northumbria Police Det Ch Insp Matt Steel earlier called the situation “extremely sad” and expressed hope that the family might “seek to move forward with their loss.”

 

People’s reaction to Janet Dunn’s murder of Anthony

BNN United kingdom

BREAKING: Janet Dunn, a woman who smothered her “domineering” and “verbally abusive” husband with a pillow after a row over money has been jailed for five years and three months. Dunn, 73, had pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 81-year-old Anthony Dunn at their house in March.

Capital Ne News said,

A 73y/o has been jailed for 5 years and 3 months for killing her husband at their home in #Ponteland. Janet Dunn was initially charged with murder but then admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

BBC Radio NewCastle said,

A woman who smothered her “domineering” and “verbally abusive” husband with a pillow after a row over money has been jailed for five years and three months.

Women in Forensics said,

Woman, 73, jailed for killing coercive husband: Newcastle judge says Janet Dunn snapped over reaction to financial crisis after decades of submission

Sarah Hill said,

Woman jailed for over 5 years after admitting manslaughter of husband who coercively controlled her. Wasn’t there a suspended sentence recently for a man who admitting killing his wide by slashing her throat in a ‘mercy killing’?

 

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