A great grandmother finally 'snapped' and killed her husband after years of abuse because he smiled at her when she told him they were in financial peril.
Shy and submissive Janet Dunn had suffered at the hands of 'domineering' Anthony Dunn for years as he subjected her to controlling behaviour. Despite his "grandiose" promises of riches, his reckless business behaviour had left them in danger of losing their home at Darras Hall, in Ponteland, where their daughter and great grandchildren also lived.
While their daughter, Helen Telford, was in the house, Dunn reacted to her 81-year-old husband's smile by holding a pillow over his face until he stopped breathing in their bedroom in their home on the estate's Beech Court on March 15. She then told Helen she was popping to the chemist but instead went to Bolam Lake, in Northumberland, and tried to commit suicide.
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After hours of trying to get hold of her mum, and believing her dad was with her, Helen finally made the grim discovery of Mr Dunn's body.
Dunn was originally charged with murder but prosecutors accepted her guilty plea to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility. She was jailed for five years and three months at Newcastle Crown Court.
On the Morning of the killing, Helen got up and made breakfast and went about her business, not realising anything was wrong. While preparing dinner around 11 to 11.30am, she heard her mum saying she was going to the chemist and would not be long. She assumed her dad was going with her.
When there was no sign of their return by 1pm, Helen became concerned and made repeated calls and texts to her mum, which went unanswered for the next three hours. After going outside, she then noticed her parents’ bedroom curtains were still closed, which was unusual. She then noticed the porridge she had prepared for their breakfast had not been touched.
Prosecutor Peter Glenser QC said: “She decided to go to her parents’ bedroom, albeit she expected they were out. She knocked on the door and when there was no answer, she went inside. Her father was lying on the bed. Only his face was visible. It was immediately apparent he was dead.”
Meanwhile at Bolam Lake around 5.30pm a dog walker saw Dunn slumped in a Mercedes which had the engine running and there was a strong smell of fumes. She had taken tablets and was unconscious and unresponsive. There were remnants of home made wine in the footwell.
Drifting in and out of consciousness, she said: “I just want to go and see him. I just want to go. Just let me go.”
Referring to her police interview, Mr Glenser said: “She said he had not been violent but had been verbally abusive such that she was treading on eggshells most of the time. It was worse at the start of their relationship. She said he had a quick temper and liked to be in control of everything.
“She discovered payments she believed were for work done were not and were in fact loans he had taken out. She said he lied about money and that made her anxious. She said he had a heart attack in the last year and dementia had set in.
“She said on the morning of the 15th she went back upstairs to confront him about another unpaid bill while he was in bed. She knew he was unable to get out of bed without help. As she confronted him he smiled at her and said for her to sort the money. That made her angry and she wanted him to stop smiling so she picked up a pillow and covered his face because she didn’t want to see him anymore.
“She held it over his face. He asked what she was doing. She kept it over his face. He tried to push it away at first but stopped. She said she removed the pillow when she was sure he was dead and she checked his pulse thereafter.”
Sentencing, her, Judge Paul Sloan QC explained why a plea to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility was accepted, saying: “The killing occurred after some 53 years of marriage and at the time of the killing you were suffering from an abnormality of mental functioning which arose from a combination of recognised mental conditions, namely a depressive episode as part of a depressive disorder and a generalised anxiety disorder. The abnormality of mental functioning substantially impaired your ability to form a rational judgement at the time.”
He added: “Throughout the marriage you were the victim of coercive and controlling behaviour by your husband. You were by nature quiet and shy. He was nine years your senior and he was domineering and exercised control over many aspects of your life.
“While not physically violent, he was verbally abusive and as a result of his behaviour and conduct towards you, your confidence and self-esteem were eroded. You were socially isolated and you became submissive and wholly dependent on your husband.
“The marriage was punctuated by one financial crisis after another brought about by your husband’s reckless conduct. One house was repossessed, there was bankruptcy, bills were unpaid, there were creditors and visits by bailiffs. You had to borrow money from your own father and daughter which caused considerable shame and embarrassment.
“Mr Dunn would make grandiose promises such as paying for a daughter’s wedding reception and that he would buy a house for daughter but the promises came to nothing. You were left constantly worrying about when the next financial crisis would envelope you.”
Judge Sloan said that as Mr Dunn’s health worsened, Dunn was not equipped to deal with matters and there was a real risk the home she shared with her daughter and great grandchildren would be repossessed and they would be rendered homeless.
He added: “After decades of compliance and submission it was the smile that finally caused you to snap. The anger and frustration you had repressed for years boiled over.
“You placed a pillow over your husband’s face and pressed it down firmly. He tried to pull it away but he was too weak to put up an effective resistance. You kept pressing the pillow down, maintaining pressure over a sustained period, in your words for a couple of minutes, until he was no longer struggling, until he was dead.”
The judge said their daughters have been left devastated and traumatised by what happened. He added: “As a result of what’s come to light during the police investigation they have been left wondering whether they really knew either of their parents at all and whether their lives have been a complete fiction.
Judge Sloan added: “Mr Dunn was in no position to defend himself. At the time your daughter was present in the house and you left it to her to make the grim discovery of her father in the bedroom and thereafter to deal with the aftermath.”
The court heard Dunn is “genuinely remorseful” and that the risk of her offending again is negligible. John Elvidge QC, defending, said: “This is an extraordinary case. It’s extremely sad and distressing.
“The mental disorder is likely to have resulted from her relationship with her husband. He was dominant and she was passive and compliant and incapable of extricating herself from the situation.
“The business dealings of Mr Dunn were blindly optimistic and repeated promises of riches to come were never fulfilled and the financial situation was precarious. In spite of it all she did love her husband and she is desperately sorry for taking his life and what she has done to their daughters.”
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