Woman murdered her husband, 84, who had dementia

A woman murdered her 84-year-old husband who had dementia and then tried to cover up her crime by claiming the fatal stab wound was accidental.

Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard that Daryl Berman, 72, stabbed her husband of 27 years in the chest at their home in Bury on 13 March.

Berman had claimed her husband's injuries had been sustained as he fell carrying a tray with a knife into the kitchen, but on Tuesday the jury found her guilty of murder.

After the case, senior crown prosecutor Sazeeda Ismail said: "The jury saw through her lies and convicted her of murder, due to the strength of the prosecution's case."

Berman had "lied to paramedics, police and family members when she claimed Mr Berman had accidentally sustained his fatal injuries", she added.

She will be sentenced at the same court on 3 July.

Also speaking after the hearing, a CPS spokesperson said the victim had suffered a stab wound to his right middle finger, which is commonly associated with people trying to defend themselves from a knife attack.

Paramedics were called shortly before 14:00 GMT on 13 March, and they found David Berman with a chest wound.

"Although Daryl Berman's explanation that it was an accidental injury was accepted initially, there were concerns about her behaviour at the time," the CPS said.

"She was very calm and matter of fact. She also had very little blood on her, despite saying she had rolled her husband over."

Berman was arrested five days later after concerns about the injury were raised during the post-mortem examination in relation to the injury.

Her phone was seized following her arrest. It was found that on the day of her husband's death she had opened her phone at 13:54:46 but not made an emergency call until 25 seconds later.

Despite being given instructions by the emergency operator, it was more than six minutes into the call that Berman began CPR. During that period, she had gone silent for a time and, at one point, had answered another phone.

David Berman was pronounced dead at 14:39.

When police officers arrived and spoke to Berman on the driveway of her home, she asked why they had been called and said: "You don't think I murdered him, do you?"

During her interview, she said her husband had been carrying her tray with a plate, a cup and a knife into the kitchen. She claimed to have heard a sound, like he had fallen.

She said he had replied that he was OK, but she then claimed to have heard a groan and ran into the kitchen, finding him lying face down.

But pathologists ruled out accidental injury, and said his injuries had been inflicted on him.

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