DARLINGTON PENSIONER JAILED FOR ATTEMPTING TO MURDER WIFE IN STABBING SPREE OVER FINANCIAL FEARS
A man who repeatedly attacked his wife with a knife has been sentenced to prison after being driven by a ‘nihilistic’ and depressive state caused by a false belief that he was facing imminent financial collapse.Colin Finch seized a 12-inch kitchen knife and entered their bedroom at their Darlington residence, where he carried out the brutal assault on his wife of over two decades.
The 78-year-old pleaded guilty to attempting to murder his wife, Laura, aged in her 70s, just before 7am on March 18 of this year, intending also to take his own life.
Mrs.
Finch sustained stab wounds to her liver and a kidney after being attacked in bed, during which Finch repeatedly stabbed her, the court was told.
Prosecutor Stephen Littlewood explained that Finch mistakenly thought the couple was on the verge of financial ruin and would be forced to sell their home before he committed the assault.
He stated: “He told the 999 operator that his wife was unconscious but breathing, and when asked what happened, he responded – ‘I just stabbed her.
I tried to kill her and just stabbed her’.” “He also revealed that the stabbing occurred around thirty minutes prior to his call, and the knife was still underneath her body.” Mr.
Littlewood further said that emergency services and police arrived at the Hummersknott Avenue residence within a minute of the distress call.
“Officers found Mrs.
Finch lying face down on the floor, with a pool of blood pooling beneath her abdomen,” he explained.
“Paramedics provided first aid until she could be transported.
During the rescue, a red-handled kitchen knife with a 12cm blade was recovered from her proximity.” The court was told that Mrs.
Finch suffered five stab wounds, with four penetrating her abdomen and damaging her liver and one of her kidneys.
After surgery, Laura told police that she had been sleeping in bed when her husband climbed onto her, causing her to fall to the ground.
“The defendant then got on top of her and stabbed her in the right side,” he said.
“She questioned why he was doing this, and he responded that they were going to lose their home and a timeshare property called Diamond, then stabbed her again.” Mr.
Strong added that Finch believed they owed money to Diamond Resorts, despite the company informing them they owed nothing.
Judge Francis Laird KC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, sentenced Finch to a prison term of eight years and eight months for the attempted murder of his wife.
He stated: “Your depression was worsened by a psychotic, nihilistic delusional belief that you owed a substantial sum to the timeshare company and that you and Laura were doomed to financial catastrophe.
You fixated entirely on this false belief and remain so.”
