A mother says she stabbed her husband twice with kitchen knives on the evening of the Queen's funeral because she was 'upset' by the royal's death.
Geraldine Parkin, 53, was handed a 12-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm on her husband, Alfred Parkin, in September last year. The court heard the pair had spent the day of the Queen's funeral on September 19, 2022, drinking, before an argument broke out and Ms Parkin began to 'hit' her husband.
Appearing at Manchester Crown Court on (February 27), the court heard how Parkin, a former teaching assistant who has no previous convictions, was 'not making sense' during the argument. She then went to the kitchen, 'grabbed' two knives, and stabbed her husband once in the shoulder and once in the bicep before her son pulled her away,
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The court heard Ms Parkin had 'issues' with alcohol and her mental health. Prosecuting, Aubrey Sampson said she had been 'intoxicated' during the incident, and had begun to 'lash out' at Mr Parkin after he grabbed her wrist when she returned from the kitchen with the knives. He said Mr Parkin didn't know why Ms Parkin had stabbed him.
Ms Parkin was later found by police in a field near her address on Northland Road, Manchester, with blood on her jacket and fingertips. She was arrested, and later charged with grevious bodily harm.
Defending, Sara Haque said the attack was 'impulsive' and 'spontaneous' but told the court that Ms Parkin claimed she had suffered a history of 'sigificant' domestic abuse by her husband. She also said Ms Parkin struggled with a number of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder.
"The defendant is now 54 years old, and is making an appearance in crown court being convicted for the first time, in circumstances that have effectively torn her family apart," Miss Haque said. She told the court that Ms Parkin was 'remorseful' but that there had been a 'degree of provocation' from Mr Parkin.
"It's clear that alcohol was an issue within the marriage," she said, and told the court that Ms Parkin had now accepted that the relationship was over.
Sentencing, Mr Recorder Usher told Ms Parkin that she had committed a 'serious offence' which 'could have been even more serious'. However, he said it was 'obvious' that the 'underlying cause' of the problem was Ms Parkin's issues with alcohol and her mental health.
"You do have powerful mitigation," he told her. "You have the support of your children. I accept the remorse you have shown is genuine. I accept there was a degree of provocation. This was an impulsive act."
He handed Ms Parkin a 12 month suspended sentence, as well as ordering her to attend alcohol treatment and rehabilitation requirements.
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