A man in his 80s who took his wife from a care home and tried to enact what he says was a failed suicide pact has been sentenced to home detention.<\/p>\n
After decades of marriage, Roy Ernest Morton, 82, became increasingly concerned about how his wife was being looked after in a Waikato care home in the months following a severe stroke.<\/p>\n
His desperation came to a head on October 12, 2020, when he took her out under the pretext of a walk, and made an attempt on both of their lives.<\/p>\n
He was sentenced to four-and-a-half months of home detention by Justice Paul Davison QC, in the High Court at Hamilton on Friday.<\/p>\n
Mortons life started to fall to pieces after his wife had a severe stroke in mid-August 2020, which left her unable to move without help, and made communication very difficult.<\/p>\n
Christel Yardley\/Stuff<\/p>\n
Roy Morton was sentenced in the High Court at Hamilton, to four-and-a-half months of home detention.<\/p>\n
He couldn't bear to watch his wife of almost 60 years suffer, Justice Davison said, and wanted to end her diminished quality of life.<\/p>\n
He also planned to take his own life, which speaks to the depth of his love for his wife, the judge said.<\/p>\n
Without her, you had no desire to keep going on your own.<\/p>\n
Speaking after the sentencing, Morton described his wife as a beautiful mind trapped in a body thats no use to her.<\/p>\n
I hope, one day, that shell be able to come home to me because I need her far more than she needs me, he said.<\/p>\n
On the day the charges relate to, Morton asked care home staffers for a wheelchair, ostensibly to take his wife for a walk in the garden.<\/p>\n
Instead, he took her home and emailed close friends and his wifes family about his frustrations, saying they were going to take their own lives, court documents say.<\/p>\n
His wifes sister in the UK was deeply shocked and couldnt believe her sister would agree to a suicide pact, a victim impact statement said.<\/p>\n
She valued her life, regardless of any deficiencies, the court heard.<\/p>\n
Christel Yardley\/Stuff<\/p>\n
A passing motorist interrupted Mortons plans in October 2020, and police caught up with him and his wife near Lake Karpiro.<\/p>\n
Morton and his wife were interrupted by other motorists, and police caught up with him near Lake Karapiro.<\/p>\n
His wife suffered no physical harm, court documents say.<\/p>\n
Morton pleaded guilty to attempted murder in March.<\/p>\n
In early police interviews, Morton said the pair had a joint suicide pact, and later that his wife had indicated she wanted to end her life.<\/p>\n
However, a Waikato DHB assessment found she didnt show signs of reasoning and had significant difficulty understanding information.<\/p>\n
The court doesnt accept and can't accept your explanation, that there was meaningful communication from [your wife] that provided a reasonable or justifiable basis that there was a joint suicide pact, Justice Davison said.<\/p>\n
He also said the offending was planned, and the woman was especially vulnerable as she depended on others for her care.<\/p>\n
CHRISTEL YARDLEY\/Stuff<\/p>\n
I've done other [cases] like this, and Im always left with the feeling that the law is a bad fit, Hamilton barrister Roger Laybourn says.<\/p>\n
But its a conundrum that Morton had pleaded guilty to trying to murder a woman he loved deeply, defence counsel Roger Laybourn said.<\/p>\n
[He was] confronted with an unexpected tragedy of a severe stroke and losing his companion in the golden years they had been looking forward to.<\/p>\n
Police also found an iPad recording showing Morton had made an attempt on his and his wifes lives on October 11.<\/p>\n
Speaking after the sentencing, Laybourn said the judge balanced the sanctity of life and his clients difficult situation well in a case which is extremely difficult for the courts.<\/p>\n
Morton was arrested the day the euthanasia referendum came out, and Laybourn felt the vote to legalise euthanasia showed society may have moved faster than the law.<\/p>\n
I've done other [cases] like this, and I'm always left with the feeling that the law is a bad fit When we have somebody who acts out of love and then is charged with attempted murder, it doesn't seem to compute.<\/p>\n
It had been a dreadful ordeal for his client, who is 82 years old, has medical issues of his own and had shown courage, he said.<\/p>\n
He's seen the impact on his wife. Shes been his partner for 57 years of marriage. No children. Their life revolves around each other.<\/p>\n
Justice Davison ordered that Morton would be able to visit his wife only with prior permission and in the presence of a supervisor.<\/p>\n
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Man who admitted attempting to kill his ill wife in apparent suicide pact sentenced - Stuff.co.nz<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A man in his 80s who took his wife from a care home and tried to enact what he says was a failed suicide pact has been sentenced to home detention. After decades of marriage, Roy Ernest Morton, 82, became increasingly concerned about how his wife was being looked after in a Waikato care home in the months following a severe stroke. His desperation came to a head on October 12, 2020, when he took her out under the pretext of a walk, and made an attempt on both of their lives. Continue reading