A woman who stabbed her husband to death during a row over a birthday meal has been cleared of murder after a court accepted she was a victim of domestic abuse.
Penelope Jackson, 66, killed 78-year-old David Jackson at their home in Berrow, Somerset, in February. She claimed he was violent and coercively controlling, and that he had ruined her birthday by belittling her.
At Bristol Crown Court, a jury found her not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. She was sentenced to a hospital order under the Mental Health Act.
The court heard that Jackson had been subjected to years of abuse from her husband, who was described as a 'monster' by her defence. The judge said she had shown 'not a shred of remorse' and had sought to portray her husband in a negative light.
David Jackson's daughter said her father would never have asked for help because he was too proud to admit to being bullied by his wife.
