A 79-year-old man has received an indefinite hospital order after stabbing his wife 15 times with two knives and killing her.
The pensioner, Hugh Webber, was said to have been "suffering a significant mental illness" when he stabbed his 77-year-old wife Angela to death at their home in Dunster, Somerset on October 29, 2020.
Somerset Live reports that a court heard Webber killed his wife as he feared an imagined £22,000 debt to an imaginary loan shark would leave them homeless.
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Police and paramedics were called to St Georges Street at about 3am that morning, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Webber was arrested at the scene, however was found unfit to stand criminal trial after undergoing a psychiatric assessment.
Instead, a two-day trial of facts in his absence began on Thursday (January 27) at Bristol Crown Court where it was found he had unlawfully killed his wife.
The court heard that Webber had told police officers at the scene he had stabbed his wife multiple times.
Judge William Hart ordered Webber to be detained indefinitely in a psychiatric unit under Sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act.
He had heard evidence from a psychiatrist that Webber was suffering from dementia and was also being prescribed medication to treat an organic delusional disorder.
Passing sentence, Judge Hart said: “I have heard clear and compelling evidence from a psychiatrist.
“There is no doubt the appropriate disposal is by an order under the Mental Health Act 1983 to both treat the defendant and, in the case of homicides like this, to protect the public.
“I am satisfied Mr Webber is suffering from a mental disorder and the most suitable way is making an order under Section 37.
“I am satisfied – because of the nature of the act and the risk of committing further offences – it is necessary to protect the public from serious harm.”
The court heard that Webber dialled 999 at about 3am on October 29, 2020 and told the operator: “Yesterday, I just tried to murder my wife.”
Detective inspector Neil Meade, senior investigating officer in the case, said: "This was a case where a man experiencing a significant mental illness has killed his wife, causing devastation for her family.
"The circumstances are deeply tragic and our thoughts and sympathies continue to be with them at this immensely difficult time.
"The hospital order imposed on Hugh Webber will ensure he receives the medical care he requires, while ensuring the public are kept safe."
At the court hearing on Thursday, Andrew Langdon QC, prosecuting, said: "This is a very sad case.
"Towards the end of October 2020, a neighbour, who had regular contact with Mr and Mrs Webber, noticed that Mr Webber appeared not to be himself.
"He had apparently suddenly developed an acute anxiety [about] a debt which he said he had, and that he and Mrs Webber would be forced out of their home.
"That anxiety, it later transpired, was irrational. There was no debt and no threat of them being homeless."
Three knives were recovered from Webber’s bedroom. Two had his wife’s blood on them.
A post-mortem examination found Mrs Webber died from multiple stab wounds, including to her torso and arm.
Former neighbour Graham Lamacraft told the jury: “In conversations with Hugh he seemed to have lost all sense of reason and didn’t seem to take on board anything I was being saying in regard to the way he would be evicted.”
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Lucy Bacon said Webber’s delusional disorder was being treated with medication but his dementia would only get worse.
“Dementia is a progressive disease and he will continue to deteriorate over time. It varies with different people so it is not possible to give more certainty,” she said.
“Unfortunately, some people with dementia become acutely paranoid.”
What does it mean when someone is given a hospital order?
As the name suggests, a section 37 hospital order sends a person to hospital instead of prison.
A court can make this order if it is thought a hospital order is the most appropriate way of dealing with a situation.
The court can hand out a hospital order if:
- the person has been charged with or convicted of an offence which could lead to a prison sentence
- two doctors have given evidence that a) the person has a mental disorder that means they should be in hospital for treatment, and b) appropriate treatment is available
- the court decides that a hospital order is the most suitable method of dealing with the case
- arrangements have been made for the person to go to hospital within 28 days of the order
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