A 72-year-old pensioner has admitted stabbing his wife of 50 years to death on a park bench, but claims it was part of a botched suicide pact. Peter Cooper, a former army warrant officer, denies murder and says the couple could not bear to be separated due to his wife's deteriorating mental health.
Winchester Crown Court heard that after stabbing himself, Cooper held his wife Audrey's body in his arms as he waited to die. In a 999 call, he said: 'I've stabbed her. Yeah and I've tried to stab myself, I didn't do quite such a good job on it.'
Prosecutor Nigel Pascoe QC described the case as a 'devastating and heartbreaking human tragedy'. He said Cooper wrote a letter to their daughter explaining their decision, which read: 'We have made a joint decision that the only way we can be together and be at peace is to end our lives. Please forgive us.'
The court heard that on the day of the killing, the couple had driven to find a cliff to jump off together but, finding the sites too crowded, bought two knives and went to a war memorial park in Romsey. Audrey Cooper's sister told the court the couple were 'inseparable and utterly devoted to each other'.
