Delusional pensioner tried to murder sleeping wife
Durham PoliceA delusional pensioner who tried to murder his sleeping wife amid an "obsession" he had over a non-existent debt has been jailed for eight years and eight months.
Colin Finch, 78, repeatedly stabbed his partner of more than 33 years at their home in Darlington in March, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The woman, who needed surgery after being stabbed in the liver and kidney, said she thought the couple were "happy", while her family said the attack was "unprovoked" and "cowardly".
Finch admitted attempted murder with a judge saying his culpability was "significantly but not substantially" reduced due to a mental health disorder at the time.
At about 06:30 BST on 18 March, Finch got a 5in (12cm) long knife from the kitchen and went upstairs to stab his wife, prosecutor Stephen Littlewood said.
There had never been any violence or issues in their relationship before, the court heard.
'Thought you loved me'
The woman, with whom he had been in a partnership for more than 33 years and married for 21, was woken by a sharp pain in her back.
She saw her husband "crawling" across the bed towards her and she fell out on to the floor, breaking her shoulder when her arm became trapped by a bar fitted to help her as she recuperated from an operation, the court heard.
Finch got on top of her as she lay face down on the floor and stabbed her again.
When she asked why he was doing it, Finch said they were "going to lose the house and Diamond", the latter being a reference to a timeshare property they had, Littlewood said.
Finch had been "convinced" he still owed the timeshare company money despite the firm writing to him several times to confirm all debts had been paid, the court heard.
His wife later told police Finch had an "obsession" over the issue.
During the attack, she told Finch "I thought you loved me", to which he replied "I do" before stabbing her again, Littlewood said.
He stabbed her five times and waited about half an hour before calling an ambulance, telling the operator he had "tried to kill" his wife.
He unlocked the doors to allow police officers in but did not carry out any of the first aid he was advised to by the call handler, the court heard.
'Live with broken heart'
Littlewood said Finch admitted his plan had been to kill his wife then himself and had told a probation officer he had been thinking about doing it for about three months.
The court heard Finch had been assessed as being in a "depressive episode" with "psychotic tendencies" and a "fixation" over the perceived debt.
In a statement read to the court, Finch's wife said he had shown no sign of mental illness.
"I thought I knew him completely," she said. "Never in a million years would I have expected him to do anything like this.
"I thought we were happy."
She said he had "broken" their family and "ruined" their lives, while during the attack all she could think was why was he doing it.
The court heard she had been left with limited mobility and ongoing health issues.
"My injuries will heal and scars may fade but the memory will always be there," she said.
"I now have to learn to live with a broken heart."
The woman's daughter told the court her family's lives had been "cruelly destroyed" by the "unprovoked cowardly attack".
Judge Francis Laird KC said it appeared the marriage was "a happy one" and the impact of the attack on the victim had been devastating.
Finch had been in a "low mood" with "depression and suicidal thoughts for some time", the judge said.
That was "exacerbated" by a "psychotic nihilistic delusional belief" that he owed a "considerable amount of money to a timeshare company" and was "heading for financial ruin".
Finch will have to serve two thirds of his prison sentence before being released on licence.
