An Australian man has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for encouraging his wife’s suicide [1].
Graham Morant, 68, was convicted of counselling and aiding his wife, Jennifer Morant, to take her own life in 2014. He had been motivated by a desire to access Mrs Morant’s life insurance benefits, a judge ruled. As sole beneficiary of the policy, Morant had stood to receive A$1.4m (£770,000; $1m). Mrs Morant had suffered from chronic pain, depression and anxiety, but was not terminally ill.
Morant had pleaded not guilty to the charges, but a jury found that Mrs Morant would not have ended her life without his counselling.
The 56-year-old woman was found dead alongside a petrol generator in her car on 30 November 2014. Nearby, a note read: “Please don’t resuscitate me.”Her husband had previously driven her to a hardware store to buy the generator, the jury was told.
“You took advantage of her vulnerability as a sick and depressed woman,” he said. Morant received a maximum 10-year sentence for the charge of counselling suicide, and a six-year sentence for the charge of aiding suicide. The sentences will be served concurrently.