Woman strangled husband to death with dressing gown cord then waited three days to call cops
A WOMAN strangled her husband to death with a dressing gown cord – then waited three days before calling cops.
Lorraine Smith, 63, from Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, called police in the early hours of 13 December 2021 and told them her husband had died.
The 63-year-old said: “My husband’s deceased body has been in the house for three days. I think it was me.”
Officers and paramedics went to the property, where they found Andrew Smith, 70, dead.
The couple had been married for 31 years.
In an interview with cops, Smith described feeling confused and having “some sort of vision”.
She recalled having an argument with her husband before grabbing the cord from his dressing gown and pulling it tight around his neck until he lost consciousness.
Smith pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Peterborough Crown Court on May 11, on the basis of diminished responsibility. This is a partial defence to murder.
The defence is enacted when a defendant is deemed to be suffering from an abnormality of mental functioning, and therefore not in full control of their actions.
Smith was given a hospital order today at the same court.
DC Kirsty Forth said: “This is a tragic case where a man has lost his life prematurely.
“I hope now the case has been concluded his family can begin to move on with their lives.”