Abused
woman killed husband
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/4321130.stm
bbc
- 9th October 2005
A
woman who stabbed her husband with the knife she was using to make
his sandwiches is beginning a three-year community rehabilitation
order.
The judge
at Cardiff Crown Court was told Doris Keningale, 43, had suffered
frequent verbal abuse.
German-born
Keningale had previously denied the murder of her husband, Vincent,
61, but admitted manslaughter.
The court
heard her husband was a "Jekyll and Hyde" character, and
had refused to seek counselling.
The court
was told she had not intended to seriously hurt her gardener husband
when they started arguing about her plans to launch a jewellery
business.
The prosecution
accepted that Mr Keningale had been verbally abusive. On the night
of the stabbing, Mr Keningale, was sitting on a stool in the kitchen
of the couple's home in Risca, near Newport, south Wales. He had
been drinking and was shouting at his wife.
Keningale
moved towards her husband, the court was told, intending to slap
him to stop him shouting, but her husband laughed.
That was
when she picked up the knife, which she had been using to make her
husband's packed lunch.
The court
heard Keningale turned towards her husband, holding the knife, and
he stood up and moved towards her.
The knife,
which had an eight-and-a-half blade entered his chest. She had not
meant to seriously hurt Mr Keningale, the court heard.
'Cruel'
words
Keningale
was said to have been "hysterical" while dialling the
emergency services. Her husband was later pronounced dead in hospital.
She later
told police: "I did not want to kill him. I just wanted to
say: 'Please stop'. He was so aggressive I could not cope any more.
It was a cry for help."
The court
heard that the couple were both Cliff Richard fans and had met at
one of his concerts in Usk in 1991. Mr Keningale had worked as a
bodyguard to the star.
The husband
was described as a "Jekyll and Hyde" character, and had
refused counselling. His wife had asked him to seek medical help
for mood swings and forgetfulness.
Keningale
had told the court that mental abuse was worse than if she had been
abused physically.
Ieuan Morris,
prosecuting, said the couple had few friends and Mr Keningale did
not encourage his wife to socialise, and had used "cruel"
words.
'Avid'
fans
He said
it was "a very sad, cruel background, where the verbal abuse
was intolerable".
The court
heard that the couple were both "avid" Cliff Richard fans
and had met at one of his concerts. Mr Keningale had once worked
as the singer's minder.
Photos
had been taken in evidence, including ones of memorabilia relating
to Sir Cliff, said Mr Morris.
Peter Murphy,
in mitigation, said: "This is as close to an accident as it
is possible to come."
He said
his clients remorse was genuine and heartfelt and she remained in
love with her late husband, but displayed features of "battered
wives' syndrome".
Sentencing
her, Judge John Griffith Williams QC said: "You were truly
and genuinely shocked by what happened."
She gave
her a three-year community rehabilitation order.
