Janet Dunn, 73, smashed and pressed a pillow into her 81-year-old husband Anthony’s face, then left their Northumberland home and made a serious attempt to take her own life, Newcastle Crown Court heard. The great-grandmother and former lollipop mistress was jailed for five years and three months after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. Psychiatrists agreed that at the time, Dunn, described as “quiet and shy”, was suffering from a depressive episode and anxiety, with her judgment significantly affected. Peter Glenser QC, prosecuting, said Mr Dunn was known to make large financial gestures which were rare and the couple borrowed money from the family which they were unable to repay. The couple faced repossessing their home in Pondeland. Judge Paul Sloan, when sentencing, said on the morning that Dunn strangled her husband, it emerged that they would again have to ask for a loan from one of their daughters. He told the defendant: “He just smiled, telling you to go ahead. You interpreted this smile as an indication of a completely indifferent and indifferent attitude. “After decades of conformity and submission, it was the smile that finally made you pop. The anger and frustration you had suppressed for years boiled over.” The couple had three daughters and their middle child died last year aged 47, after which Mr Dunn’s health declined. He had become more dependent on his wife, worried if she would leave him alone, the court heard. Although he was not violent in their relationship, he had been verbally abusive and said they would leave her “stepping on eggshells”, particularly earlier in their marriage. Mr Glenser said the husband was in a hurry and liked to control everything. Specialist psychiatrists agreed their relationship was one of “compulsive control”, the lawyer added. The judge agreed, telling Dunn: “As a result of his conduct and behavior towards you, your confidence and self-esteem have been eroded.” After choking her husband, Dunn drove to a nearby lake and tried to kill herself in her Mercedes, but she was seen, dazed and unconscious, by a dog walker who raised the alarm, the court heard. Their two surviving daughters gave victim impact statements, but they were not read in court. John Elvidge QC, defending, said: “This is an exceptional case. The facts and background that have been revealed are extremely sad and painful.” He added: ‘Nevertheless, Mrs Dunn loved her husband. “She is deeply sorry for taking his life and for what she did to their daughters.”
