Husband killed wife of 52 years

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A 74-year-old man has been convicted of killing his wife of 52 years by strangling her in their Glasgow flat.

Eddie Flaherty killed Ina, 69, in April by throttling her with his tie in the Drygate area of the city's east end.

The jury at the High Court in Glasgow heard that Flaherty "lost the plot" after his wife refused to give him money for the pub.

Flaherty was found guilty of culpable homicide. Judge Lord Matthews deferred sentencing until next month.

Flaherty had originally been charged with murder but was found guilty of the lesser charge after the court heard that he did not "wickedly or cruelly" cause his wife's death.

Defence QC Donald MacLeod told the court that Flaherty put a tie around his wife's neck without exerting much pressure.

A pathologist said she may have died from pressure being applied to the vagus nerve in the neck which can stop the heart and cause instant death.

Slight pressure

Alternatively, the jury heard that only slight pressure around her neck could have caused the blood flow in her badly furred-up arteries to fail to reach her heart.

Giving evidence for his defence, Flaherty, of Gibson Heights, a tower block east of the city centre, told Mr MacLeod that he had no recollection of the moment he killed his wife who was just 18 when they married during the Christmas of 1955.

The court heard that Flaherty, who has had three heart attacks, has been losing his memory and could not remember who the prime minister was.

The retired scaffolder said that he must have caused her death because there was no-one else in their flat at the time.

He said: "It must have been me. There are no ghosts running about the house who would have done that."

Drink problem

Flaherty denied a suggestion from solicitor general Frank Mulholland QC, who prosecuted the case, that he "blocked Ina's killing out of his memory because it was so dreadful".

Some jurors wept as he told the court how the couple had a "strong and firm" marriage in which they had never struck each other.

He said that he regularly visited a local pub after his retirement and had developed a drink problem.

After they had returned from the pub he wanted to go back for more but Mrs Flaherty refused to give him any cash.

The judge, Lord Matthews, called for a report on Flaherty before sentencing him next month.

The defence will also produce a report about his current state of health.