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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Man jailed for poisoning wife with laxatives | Man jailed for poisoning wife with laxatives |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A "Walter Mitty character" who poisoned his wife with laxatives has been jailed for three and a half years. | A "Walter Mitty character" who poisoned his wife with laxatives has been jailed for three and a half years. |
| David Smith, 62, a fantasist who claimed he was an ex-SAS hero, made Elizabeth Smith so ill she thought she was dying. | David Smith, 62, a fantasist who claimed he was an ex-SAS hero, made Elizabeth Smith so ill she thought she was dying. |
| The sheriff in Ayr said Smith, from Telford, was guilty of a "prolonged and evil course of criminal conduct". | The sheriff in Ayr said Smith, from Telford, was guilty of a "prolonged and evil course of criminal conduct". |
| Smith had told his wife a string of lies, including that he carried out the SAS raid on the Iranian Embassy. | Smith had told his wife a string of lies, including that he carried out the SAS raid on the Iranian Embassy. |
| He was previously convicted of culpably and recklessly administering laxative substances over a three-year period from 2012-2015. | He was previously convicted of culpably and recklessly administering laxative substances over a three-year period from 2012-2015. |
| Sheriff John Montgomery said Smith's conduct had caused "physical and mental anguish" to his victim. | Sheriff John Montgomery said Smith's conduct had caused "physical and mental anguish" to his victim. |
| He made her so ill she said doctors believed she may have motor neurone disease. | He made her so ill she said doctors believed she may have motor neurone disease. |
| Smith also falsely told his 62-year-old wife he owned a factory that made secret-component parts for the MoD and that his first wife was a professional ballerina who had died while carrying their unborn child. | |
| His stories unravelled after he staged a break-in at their home. | |
| When she first met him, Mrs Smith thought he was an "absolute gentleman". | |
| "He was just a normal, lovely guy," she told BBC Scotland. | |
| "He was a family man - a wonderful man who came across as so genuine and real." | |
| She added: "He's a 100% 'Walter Mitty character'. He has got caught up completely in his web of lies. | |
| "I want people to be aware that there are people like this out there and they are very, very dangerous men. | |
| "He has taken away five years of my life. It's heartbreaking." |