Jailed OAP says he’ll never forgive himself for wife’s manslaughter:
76-YEAR-OLD SAYS SORRY AFTER HE’S HANDED THREE YEARS FOR MANSLAUGHTER
A PENSIONER found guilty of the manslaughter of his wife will “never forgive himself” for what he did.
Thomas Bryan stabbed his wife Vivienne in the neck and slashed her throat in the incident at their home in Fairbourne, Gwynedd on Christmas Day last year.
The 76-year-old had denied charges of murder and manslaughter but after a two week trial at Caernarfon Crown Court the jury found him guilty of the latter charge on Thursday.
Sentence was adjourned until Friday morning.
Handing the retired maintenance engineer a jail term of three years and two months the judge, Mrs Justice Jefford, said: “You stabbed Vivienne Bryan with a kitchen knife and slashed her throat. The stab wound caused massive and fatal blood loss.”
Noting that he had sought assistance straight away and told his daughter that his wife had come at him with a knife, the judge added: “You have never denied killing your wife. You have no recollection of doing so but you accept you must have done.”
The couple, who had moved to Fairbourne during the late summer of 2018 from Staffordshire, had been married for more than 53 years but their relationship had deteriorated in the months leading up to Christmas last year.
The defence said the incident should be seen against a background of controlling and manipulative behaviour by Mrs Bryan towards her husband.
She agreed with defence counsel Ian Unsworth QC that the offence lay at the lower end of the sentencing scale.
Mr Unsworth told the court: “Thomas Bryan wishes to say sorry for what he has done he will never forgive himself.”
He added Bryan had told his daughter Angela, during regular telephone calls from prison where he was held before the trial, that he loved his wife and will continue to do so “until the day I die”.
In a victim personal statement she read to the court, Ms Bryan said it is hard to say how the death of her mother and incarceration of her father has affected her family
She said: “We were a family in crisis before, literally shouting for help in regards to mum and dad’s worsening mental health while coping with the deterioration of my husband’s health. We are still coping but now with different demands. “I truly believe that there is not one point of blame in all this, but a series of bad decisions, and I include my father, mother and myself, by the authorities and missed opportunities in conjunction with lack of support and understanding of our predicament.
“The guilt, no matter how much I tell myself has no value, still haunts my nights. The ‘what ifs,’ the ‘if onlys’ and the thought that there must have been another avenue that I could have tried to get them the help they needed to prevent this tragedy.”
She concluded her statement by noting: “Our lives will never be the same. I miss my mom dreadfully every single day but nothing can bring her back.”
Bryan is expected to spend half the sentence in prison and the remainder on licence. Time served on remand will count towards the sentence.
After the hearing Detective Constable Kath Culshaw of North Wales Police said: “I would like to extend my sympathy to the family and friends of Vivienne, who have been deeply affected by her death.
“The tragic events of Christmas day relayed throughout this trial highlight the consequences of domestic abuse.
“If there is a message to come from this, it is that anyone who faces violence and abuse should understand that your safety remains North Wales Police’s priority.
“Please do not suffer in silence or let issues fester. There is help out there so please have the confidence to access support, and report the matter.”