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Poison plot wife given 30 years | Poison plot wife given 30 years |
(40 minutes later) | |
A woman who tried to kill her husband by putting anti-freeze into his curry and wine has been jailed for 30 years. | A woman who tried to kill her husband by putting anti-freeze into his curry and wine has been jailed for 30 years. |
Kate Knight, 28, was found guilty of the attempted murder of Lee Knight at their home in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire in 2005. | Kate Knight, 28, was found guilty of the attempted murder of Lee Knight at their home in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire in 2005. |
Judge Simon Tonking at Stafford Crown Court told Knight she showed "little remorse" and would serve at least 15 years before being eligible for parole. | |
Mr Knight, who is 38, suffered kidney failure and brain damage. | Mr Knight, who is 38, suffered kidney failure and brain damage. |
He is now blind, partially deaf and needs 24-hour care. | He is now blind, partially deaf and needs 24-hour care. |
The devastation you have brought to his life is apparent... Mr Justice Tonking | |
Mr Justice Tonking said the offence happened following "premeditated planning of a most callous kind". | |
Knight plotted to poison her husband in order to collect a £130,000 payout from her husband's employer JCB, in order to clear her debts, the court was told. | |
The judge also spoke about the impact the poisoning had on Mr Knight's life. | |
"The devastation you have brought to his life is apparent to everyone who saw him giving evidence in this case," he said. | |
"But while he did so there was little or any sign of remorse on your part." | |
The court heard how on the night of the couple's seventh wedding anniversary on 4 April 2005, Knight cooked her husband a curry and served him red wine - both of which had been laced with ethylene glycol, the chemical constituent of anti-freeze. | |
When Mrs Knight was arrested in May 2005, police discovered a one-litre bottle of anti-freeze containing 840ml of the liquid at the couple's home. | |
Hitman | |
During the three-week trial, the jury heard how Knight, originally from the Wirral, had used internet searches to find a method of killing, settling on anti-freeze after ruling out ecstasy or an iron overdose. | |
Her neighbour Sarah Johnson, 28, told the court how Knight had mentioned paying £50,000 to hire a hitman. | Her neighbour Sarah Johnson, 28, told the court how Knight had mentioned paying £50,000 to hire a hitman. |
Mr Knight, who lives with his parents and the couple's nine-year-old son, said his ex-wife had ruined his life. | |
"I have hardly any independence anymore - I need to have somebody with me all the time. I don't think I'll ever be able to work again," he said. | "I have hardly any independence anymore - I need to have somebody with me all the time. I don't think I'll ever be able to work again," he said. |
He wears two hearing aids after regaining some level of hearing following an operation and during the trial gave evidence supported by two hearing specialists. | He wears two hearing aids after regaining some level of hearing following an operation and during the trial gave evidence supported by two hearing specialists. |
Throughout the sentencing hearing, Knight rocked back and forth, cried and appeared shaken. | |
The public gallery cheered and clapped as the judge read out his sentence. |