Man kills wife in his sleep

A British man with a history of sleepwalking strangled his wife because he was convinced that she was an intruder who had broken into their camper van.

Brian Thomas, 59, and his wife Christine, 57, were on vacation in West Wales when he attacked her in the middle of the night.

Prosecutors accepted the findings of medical experts who said that he had a sleep disorder. They told Swansea Crown Court that they would not seek a conviction for murder or manslaughter.

The couple had been asleep in their camper when they were disturbed by “boy racers” and decided to move. After they went back to bed, Brian Thomas had a nightmare in which the youths broke into their camper van.

He woke up alongside his lifeless wife’s body and called for emergency assistance. In a tape of the call played to the jury he was heard telling the emergency operator: “I think I’ve killed my wife. Oh my God. I thought someone had broken in. I was fighting with those boys but it was Christine. I must have been dreaming or something. What have I done? What have I done? Can you send someone?”

Thomas was crying and shaking when he was found by police officers 10 minutes after making the call. He had said of his wife: “She is my world.”

Paul Thomas, for the prosecution, said: “The defendant accepts that he caused the death of his wife, but the prosecution (does) not seek a verdict of guilty to murder or manslaughter. Instead, very unusually, we seek what is called a special verdict, a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.”

The court was told that the Thomases were a “happy, devoted couple” who were due to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Thomas, of Neath, South Wales, had suffered from sleep disorders for 50 years. Medical experts had carried out tests that confirmed his behavior was “consistent with the legal concept of automatism."

The prosecution said: “In other words, at the time of the killing the defendant was asleep and his mind had no control over what his body was doing.”

If he is found not guilty due to insanity he will be subject to a psychiatric hospital order and could be detained indefinitely.

That's shocking - i feel sorry for him, he must be devastated... i mean having a sleep walkin disorder is no-one's fault... he wasn't to know what he was doing - really shocking...

It's quite scary that the fact you could do summit as horrible as that without even knowing it.

I know...bet theres alot of people with the same sort of disorder that won't want to go to sleep after reading that.

Poor bloke....wouldn't be surprised if he try's killing himself, living with the knowledge of that will be enough to push anyone over the edge

yes sleep walking is a kind of disorder
for me i will do more reseach on sleep walking

Well if it was me - i wouldn't be able to live with myself & probably would do summit stupid - but i don't really wanna think so negative cuz i never wanna be in that sort of situation.

He killed his wife and it wasnt his fault. very sad

its shocking , i heard one like this but the man killed himself by jumping off the window

I heard about taht one too

Steph wrote:

A British man with a history of sleepwalking strangled his wife because he was convinced that she was an intruder who had broken into their camper van.

Brian Thomas, 59, and his wife Christine, 57, were on vacation in West Wales when he attacked her in the middle of the night.

Prosecutors accepted the findings of medical experts who said that he had a sleep disorder. They told Swansea Crown Court that they would not seek a conviction for murder or manslaughter.

The couple had been asleep in their camper when they were disturbed by “boy racers” and decided to move. After they went back to bed, Brian Thomas had a nightmare in which the youths broke into their camper van.

He woke up alongside his lifeless wife’s body and called for emergency assistance. In a tape of the call played to the jury he was heard telling the emergency operator: “I think I’ve killed my wife. Oh my God. I thought someone had broken in. I was fighting with those boys but it was Christine. I must have been dreaming or something. What have I done? What have I done? Can you send someone?”

Thomas was crying and shaking when he was found by police officers 10 minutes after making the call. He had said of his wife: “She is my world.”

Paul Thomas, for the prosecution, said: “The defendant accepts that he caused the death of his wife, but the prosecution (does) not seek a verdict of guilty to murder or manslaughter. Instead, very unusually, we seek what is called a special verdict, a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.”

The court was told that the Thomases were a “happy, devoted couple” who were due to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Thomas, of Neath, South Wales, had suffered from sleep disorders for 50 years. Medical experts had carried out tests that confirmed his behavior was “consistent with the legal concept of automatism."

The prosecution said: “In other words, at the time of the killing the defendant was asleep and his mind had no control over what his body was doing.”

If he is found not guilty due to insanity he will be subject to a psychiatric hospital order and could be detained indefinitely.

i have hear of different story of a man sleepwalking that accidently murder his wife it was all in the news?
that give nightmares

Gave me nightmares too. So does Aliens . Non-friendly aliens...

scarey news is now put to rest