What did Graham Mansfield do? Man who killed ailing wife as ‘act of love’ is cleared of murder charges

A British man identified as Graham Mansfield has been accused of killing his terminally ill wife, Dyanne Mansfield. Earlier in the week, Mansfield testified in the case, claiming that it was Dyanne who had asked him to kill her.

While Graham Mansfield, 73, was cleared of murder charges, he was convicted of manslaughter. The incident took place at the couple's suburban home in March 2021, a BBC report stated.

In October 2020, Dyanne, 71, was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Doctors told Graham she would have a couple of years to live if she went with chemotherapy.

In a report by the Manchester Evening News, Graham was quoted as saying:

"She said to me, 'Graham, this is the best I'm ever going to be now, right at this moment in time. When things get bad, when they get too bad for me, will you kill me?' It was the saddest words I had ever heard."

In his statement, the 73-year-old said he had planned to end Dyanne's life on the condition that he would kill himself too.

Testifying in court, Graham said:

"Without her, there is nothing. I said to her, 'You're not in this on your own, we'll see this to the end.'"

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Graham Mansfield's plan to kill himself goes awry

On March 24 last year, Graham Mansfield called the England emergency line 999 to report the death of his wife, Dyanne. Graham also tried to end his life by overdosing.

When emergency services arrived at the location, they found Dyanne with her throat slashed and Graham lying in a "pool of blood." He even requested police to let him die, The Times reported.

In his statement to police at the time, Graham Mansfield said:

"My wife has had terminal cancer and we made a pact to kill ourselves. I think I have killed my wife and I am trying to kill myself and it's all gone wrong."

Officials also found two notes detailing the couple's decision to die together. However, Dyanne's signature was not present in either of the notes, as per a report by The Times.

Testifying in the matter, Graham further added:

"When we planned suicide, we didn't think we were doing anything wrong. We didn't need anybody's permission to say we'd had enough of this world and we wanted to leave it."

Instead of convicting Graham Mansfield for murder, the jury found him guilty on manslaughter charges that resulted in a suspended two-year jail sentence, The Guardian reported.

Justice Goose, the judge presiding over the case, said:

"Your evidence, which I accept, is that every sinew in your body didn't want to kill your wife. It was what she had asked you to do. It was an act of love and compassion to end her suffering."

Following the ruling, Graham Mansfield called for a change in England's assisted suicide laws.

In a report by The Guardian, Graham Mansfield was quoted as saying:

"Nobody should have to go through what we went through. Unfortunately, today, my wife is not here. She shouldn't have had to die in such barbaric circumstances. That was what we had to resort to."