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| Mercury poisoning man sentenced | Mercury poisoning man sentenced |
| (21 minutes later) | |
| A man from Lancashire who poisoned his ex-wife's tea with mercury has been given a 350-day suspended sentence. | |
| William Dowling, 69, from Colne, poisoned 64-year-old Maureen Dowling's drink so she would become ill and dependent on him. | William Dowling, 69, from Colne, poisoned 64-year-old Maureen Dowling's drink so she would become ill and dependent on him. |
| At Preston Crown Court, Dowling admitted administering a poison with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy. | |
| Mrs Dowling had moved out of the family home after their 28-year relationship broke down four years ago. | |
| She suffered symptoms including forgetfulness, indigestion and headaches but experts said the mercury had no serious effect on her health. | |
| 'Controlling attitude' | |
| Dowling, an electrician, faced a maximum sentence of five years in jail, the court heard. | |
| Maureen Dowling left her husband four years ago | |
| Judge Robert Brown, sentencing Dowling on Friday, told him his wife left him because "she had become fed-up of what she regarded as your controlling attitude towards her". | |
| He said: "In judging the seriousness of the crime you committed, your... wanting her to return to your care is irrelevant. | |
| "What is relevant is that you are not a medical expert and it follows from that that it was more by good luck than anything else that your wife did not suffer serious harm." | |
| As well as the jail term, which was suspended for two years, the judge also imposed an 18-month supervision order. |