Location: UK – Page 8 – Disability Day of Mourning

Tina Billingham

Name: Tina Billingham.
Died: February 6, 2017.
Age at death: 54.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Rowley Regis, England, UK.
Disability: Depression.

Details:
After a long abusive relationship, Tina’s partner stabbed her through the heart with a sword. During the trial he tried to claim she had done it to herself because of her depression.

She was a friendly woman, the mother of two, who liked to have friends and neighbors over for coffee.

Case status:
Ronald Cooke (Partner), convicted of murder, sentenced to 24 years to life.

Source:
‘Murdered’ Sandwell mother could have killed herself, court told
Funeral Fund For Tina Billingham
‘Our sadness is overwhelming’: Family’s tribute to murdered Tina Billingham
Murder accused: She killed herself after I called her bluff
Murderer Ronald Cooke’s violent and bullying past revealed
Man jailed for life after stabbing partner to death in row

Photo of Vicky Cherry, a middle-aged woman with pale skin and straight brown chin-length hair. Name: Victoria Cherry.
Died: January 15, 2017 (Body Found); missing October 2015.
Age at death: 44.
Cause of death: Likely strangulation.
Location: Bolton, Manchester, England, UK.
Disability: Epilepsy, depression, drug abuse.

Details:
Vicky’s boyfriend claimed she had moved away and stole her benefits for some time. Her body was found fifteen months later, stuffed into a cupboard. It was impossible to tell exactly how she had died, but damage to her neck implied Vicky had probably been strangled.

Case status:
Andrew Reade (Boyfriend), pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and preventing a lawful burial, sentenced to 4 years, 4 months.

Source:
Man jailed for hiding girlfriend’s body in cupboard for more than a year
Victoria Cherry: Man arrested on suspicion of murder after police find body
Tributes to mum found dead at flat
Tributes paid to Preston woman Victoria Cherry
Police searching for missing woman Victoria Cherry for over a year find body in Bolton house
Man hid body of dead girlfriend in airing cupboard for 15 months
Man, 43, hid his dead girlfriend’s body in his airing cupboard for 15 months
Vicky Cherry death: Boyfriend jailed over airing cupboard body

Natasha Wild

Name: Natasha Wild
Died: November 28, 2016.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Syke, Rochdale, Manchester, England, UK.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Natasha’s boyfriend was possessive and abusive. He hit her and accused her of faking her cerebral palsy. Convinced that she was sleeping with someone else, he stabbed her in the neck, killing her.

She was a third-year student at Liverpool Hope University, working her way through university as a cafeteria worker at the local high school.

Case status:
Lloyd Brackenbury (Boyfriend), convicted of manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility and detained in a psychiatric hospital.

Source:
Mum’s agony over student stabbed to death by paranoid boyfriend
Student stabbed to death by paranoid boyfriend who thought she was having affair

Robert Wellburn

No Photo Name: Robert Wellburn.
Died: November 8, 2016.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: North Shields, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Robert lived in his home, and his son was supposed to visit and help him. But his son stopped visiting often enough, and eventually simply left him locked into his own unheated home without enough medication or food. When he was found, Robert was starving. He died of pneumonia a few weeks later.

Case status:
Robert Wellburn Jr. (Son), pleaded guilty to gross negligence manslaughter, sentenced to four years in prison.

Source:
Son jailed for manslaughter of his dementia-suffering dad by abandoning him
Dementia sufferer died ‘like prisoner in his own home’ after heartless son locked him in without a key

Henry Wilson

Black and white newspaper photo of Henry Wilson, a middle-aged man with dark hair, light skin, and glasses. Name: Henry Wilson.
Died: September 3, 2016.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Ayr, Scotland, UK.
Disability: Chronic heart disease.

Details:
When Henry expressed a desire to die, his wife left out a dose of her medication for him and left the house. When she returned he was not dead, so she took a pillow and smothered him.

Case status:
Susanne Wilson (Wife), pleaded guilty to culpable homicide; no sentence, walked free from court.

Source:
74-year-old woman charged with murdering her husband, 71, at their home in Ayr
Wife killed sick husband with cushion after sex allegations
Wife walks free after killing husband
Ex-councillor who killed husband to death avoids jail
Wife who killed suicidal husband walks free

Jean Constant

No Photo Name: Jean Constant.
Died: August 22, 2016.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: St. Neots, England, UK.
Disability: Unspecified; care home resident.

Details:
After her health began to decline and Jean had to be hospitalized, Jean and her husband moved into a care home. Four months later, Jean’s husband allegedly killed her by smothering her.

Case status:
Brendan Constant (Husband), charged with murder, died before trial.

Source:
Brothers question murder charge in ‘suicide pact’ case
Cambridgeshire ‘murder’: Retired man, 87, quizzed over murder of his 86-year-old wife at their sheltered housing
Cambridgeshire woman is found dead and man seriously injured at their home
Eynesbury Poppyfields care home death: Murder arrest after body find
Man aged 87 arrested on suspicion of murder after woman found dead at Poppyfields care home in St Neots
Man arrested on suspicion of murder after wife dies at care home
More tests needed to find cause of death of Jean Constant, 86
Pensioner found dead at St Neots care home is named by police
Woman found dead and man injured at St Neots home

Ernestine Tindall

No Photo Name: Ernestine Tindall.
Died: August 13, 2016.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Perlethorpe, England, UK.
Disability: Vascular dementia.

Details:
Ernestine’s husband strangled her because he was afraid that they would be moved to separate nursing homes. He claimed she had asked him to kill her, but the judge stated that,”This is not a case of assisted suicide. This is killing as a perceived act of mercy.”

Case status:
Jack Tindall (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, given a 12-month suspended sentence.

Source:
World War II vet, 96, strangled his dementia-suffering wife to death and laid her on a bed of lilies
Husband spared jail for mercy killing of wife with dementia
96-year-old man gets suspended prison term for killing dementia-suffering wife

Margaret Mayer

Photo of Margaret Meyer, an elderly woman with curly gray hair and fair skin. She is wearing a sports jersey with the monograph "M" on it. Name: Margaret Mayer.
Died: July 28, 2016.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Heath, Cardiff, Wales, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
After refusing offers of help with caring for her, Margaret Meyer’s husband bludgeoned her to death with a bedside lamp.

She was a retired tax office worker who loved sports, including hockey, football, and cricket.

Case status:
Angus Mayer (Husband), charged with murder; died seven weeks after arrest from injuries from a suicide attempt.

Source:
Pensioner who killed wife and stepped in front of train ‘let down by the system’
Man, 86, killed dementia-sufferer wife, 85, and stepped in front train
Family criticises social services over deaths of elderly couple
Man killed dementia sufferer wife, inquest hears
Husband killed wife to ‘put her out of her misery’, inquest hears
Dementia carer ‘smothered wife and tried to kill himself’
Devoted husband killed wife with a brass lamp
Husband killed Alzheimer’s sufferer wife and then attempted suicide
Mercy killing couple with Alzheimer’s should never have been allowed to look after each other, says son as he hits out at social services
Carer who killed wife with dementia had ‘fog of fatigue’
‘Dad killed our mum – but we’ve forgiven him’
Daughter of man who killed wife says she was ‘never angry’ with him
Dad killed our mum – but we’ve forgiven him because he was at breaking point as her carer

Catherine Purcell

No Photo Name: Catherine Purcell.
Died: July 24, 2016.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Dehydration, sepsis.
Location: Kirkby, England, UK.
Disability: Korsakoff syndrome, emphysema.

Details:
Although they had four offers of help caring for her, Catherine’s husband and daughter refused them all. Instead, they left Catherine to starve on a filthy mattress. She died of dehydration, pneumonia, and infected bedsores.

Case Status:
Catherine Purcell Jr. (Daughter), found guilty of neglect, given a suspended 12-month sentence, 180 hours of community service, and a curfew for two months.
John Purcell (Husband), found guilty of neglect; given a suspended 18-month sentence, 270 hours of community service, and a curfew for three months.

Source:
Disabled mum ‘left to die in soiled bed while she was eaten by maggots’
Great-gran died in maggot-ridden “cesspit” due to “extreme neglect”
Dad and daughter guilty of neglecting Catherine Purcell who died while being eaten by maggots
Shocking details of ‘neglected’ gran; PROSECUTORS SAY NEGLECT DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTED TO 68-YEAR-OLD’S DEATH
Shocking messages sisters sent as mum lay dying in maggot-infested bed
Dad and daughter spared jail for neglecting mum who died in maggot-infested bed

Charlotte and Claire Hart

Photo of Charlotte and Claire Hart. Charlotte is a young woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, and Claire is a middle-aged woman with straight blonde hair in bangs. They are leaning against eaach other and smiling. Name: Charlotte Hart.
Age at death: 19.
Disability: Depression.

Name: Claire Hart.
Age at death: 50.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis, ovarian cancer survivor.

Died: July 19, 2016.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Spalding, England, UK.

Details:
Claire, her daughter Charlotte, and her two sons were trapped in an abusive household. The two young men tried to protect their mother and sister and finally managed to rent a small house for them.

But soon after they moved out, Claire and her daughter Charlotte were shot dead by her husband, who then killed himself.

Claire kept a vegetable garden in which she grew some of the family’s food. Both women were animal-lovers who especially loved dogs. Charlotte liked to ride horses and volunteered to help the elderly; her favorite video game was Call of Duty.

Case status:
Lance Hart (Claire’s husband, Charlotte’s father), deceased.

Source:
Murder was final act of abuse and control
‘He was a tyrant’: man opens up on father who killed mother and sister
Memorial to Claire & Charlotte Hart.
‘We didn’t recognise that he was dangerous’: our father killed our mother and sister