Woman stabbed husband twice on evening of Queen's funeral 'because she was upset about monarch's death'
2 March 2023, 20:29 | Updated: 2 March 2023, 20:36
A woman reportedly said she stabbed her husband twice on the evening of the Queen's funeral because as she was "upset" about the monarch's death.
Geraldine Parkin, 53, pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm after the attack on her partner Alfred Parkin, in September last year.
The pair had spent the day of the late Queen's funeral on September 19, 2022, drinking, before an argument started and Ms Parkin began to "hit" her husband, the court was told.
The court heard how Ms 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 Mr Parkin once in the shoulder and once in the bicep before being pulled away by her son, Manchester Evening news reported.
The court was told that Ms Parkin had "issues" with alcohol and her mental health.
Prosecuting, Aubrey Sampson said Ms Parkin been "intoxicated" during the incident, and began to "lash out" at her husband after he grabbed her wrist when she came back 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 with blood on her jacket and fingertips in a field close to her address in Manchester.
She was arrested, and later charged with greivous bodily harm.
Defending, Sara Haque said the attack on Mr Parkin was "impulsive" and "spontaneous" but told the court that Ms Parkin claimed she had suffered a history of "significant" domestic abuse by her husband.
Ms Hague also said Ms Parkin struggled with several mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
"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 Hague said.
She told the court Ms Parkin was "remorseful" over the incident but that there had been a "degree of provocation" from Mr Parkin.
Ms Hague said "it's clear that alcohol was an issue within the marriage," and told the court 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 acknowledged that it was "obvious" that the "underlying cause" of the problem was her issues with alcohol and her mental health.
Ms Parkin was handed a 12-month suspended sentence, and was ordered to attend alcohol treatment and rehabilitation requirements.
