Graham Mansfield was convicted of manslaughter after slitting his wife's throat as part of a suicide pact because there was a lack of evidence to explain her wishes, the Crown Prosecution Service has explained. Acts motivated by compassion, a voluntary informed decision to end life, suicide pacts and full cooperation with the authorities’ are all scenarios where the CPS usually would be less likely to prosecute people.
But, despite Mr Mansfield's case containing all these factors, prosecutors still decided to pursue charges against the retired Manchester Airport baggage handler, who killed his wife of over 40 years, Dyanne Mansfield, 71, in the garden of their home in Hale, in March 2021. Manchester Crown Court heard that Mrs Mansfield had been ill for some time and was suffering from cancer.
Martin Goldman, CCP for CPS North West said: “This was a tragic case where Dyanne Mansfield lost her life at the hands of her husband.
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“Failed suicide pacts are an emotive subject. As prosecutors we carefully weighed the evidence in this case, including the lack of any evidence to confirm Dyanne Mansfield’s wishes, and using our legal guidance determined that a prosecution was in the public interest.
“The CPS produced evidence at court in the form of witness testimony, forensic evidence and exhibits to show the planning involved in the death of Dyanne Mansfield. Mansfield failed to convince the jury that this had been a lawful killing.”
Police were called to the address on Canterbury Road in Hale by Mansfield himself on March 24 last year around 9.15am. Mansfield told officers that he had killed his wife as part of a suicide pact, which they had made on the first day of her diagnosis.
Mansfield was found in the kitchen with self-inflicted injuries to his neck and wrists. He was taken to Manchester Royal infirmary where he underwent surgery.
According to the CPS, prosecutors and investigators should make sure that they pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry in order to obtain, wherever possible, independent verification of the suspect's account. If there is insufficient evidence to support the suspect’s account about the circumstances of death and the state of mind of the victim, which is relevant to a particular factor, then prosecutors should conclude that there is insufficient information to support that factor.
The CPS is currently in the middle of a public consultation into the public interest factors prosecutors should consider when deciding whether or not to charge a suspect with murder or manslaughter, where the suspect believes they were acting wholly out of compassion for the deceased.
The proposed update to the legal guidance on murder and manslaughter does not decriminalise any offences, and a suspect is not immune from prosecution if they claim it was a ‘mercy killing’ or failed suicide pact. The guidance does not touch on ‘assisted dying’ or other similar scenarios which are treated separately in law.
The consultation closed in April and an update on the guidance is expected later this year.
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