A great-grandmother killed her husband after five decades of living in a controlling marriage she did not know she had to escape, a review has concluded.
Anthony Dunn was killed by Janet Dunn at their Northumberland home when she smothered him with a pillow after suffering years of torment. Dunn, then 73, was jailed for five years and three months in 2022 after pleading guilty to manslaughter at Newcastle Crown Court. Now a Domestic Homicide Review (DHR), which explores the circumstances surrounding 81-year-old Anthony's death, has been published.
The 42-page report gives haunting details of the decades of controlling behaviour Dunn endured before she eventually 'snapped' and explains how she did not recognise herself as a victim of such abuse. The review highlights the difficulties some older victims of abuse have when it comes to seeking help. Safer Northumberland Partnership says changes have now been made, including staff training has being strengthened on domestic abuse in older people.
The report says: 'There is a significant barrier to some older victims of abuse or coercive control seeking help due to their historical perceptions of what constitutes abuse and possible responses to that. This is compounded by views of relationships and marriage that are grounded in the societal norms and knowledge gained in earlier life, often many decades ago. In such circumstances relationship abuse is often hidden and disclosure or signs of abuse will not be apparent to professionals or those in close contact with the victim.'
The review explains how Anthony, who worked in planning consultancy and architecture, first met Dunn in the 1960s when she worked at a planning office. After beginning a relationship, Dunn fell pregnant and was sent to a mother and baby unit in Cumbria with plans that her child would be adopted due to being an unmarried mother. However, the couple decided they wanted to keep their baby. They got married and went on to have two further children.
After becoming a mother Dunn left her job and worked for her husband as a secretary. Dunn's daughters, who contributed to the review, said they believed their father had expected his wife to work for him and was very much in control of the business. One said: 'Although my mother assisted my father, I got the impression that he was in control of the businesses and not my mother. It appeared to me that my mother was subservient and would acquiesce to my father’s wishes.'
