A wife stabbed her partner twice on the evening of the Queen’s funeral – because she was so upset by the royal’s death.
Geraldine Parkin, 53, first began to hit Alfred Parkin following an argument after they’d been drinking on September 19, 2022. A court heard Parkin, a former teaching assistant, went to the kitchen, “grabbed” two knives, and stabbed her husband once in the shoulder and once in the bicep before her son pulled her away.
Aubrey Sampson, prosecuting, said she had been “intoxicated” during the incident, and had begun to “lash out” at Mr Parkin after he grabbed her wrist when she returned from the kitchen with the knives. He said Mr Parkin didn’t know why his spouse had stabbed him.
But Parkin was spared jail and instead handed a 12-month suspended sentence on Monday, Manchester Evening News reports.
Sentencing, Mr Recorder Usher told Parkin that she had committed a “serious offence” which “could have been even more serious”. However, he said it was “obvious” that the “underlying cause” of the problem was Ms Parkin’s issues with alcohol and her mental health.
“You do have powerful mitigation,” he told her.
“You have the support of your children. I accept the remorse you have shown is genuine. I accept there was a degree of provocation. This was an impulsive act.”
Parkin was also ordered to attend alcohol treatment and rehabilitation requirements.
The court heard Parkin had issues with alcohol and her mental health.
Parkin, who has no previous convictions, was later found by police in a field near her address in Manchester with blood on her jacket and fingertips. She was arrested, and later charged with grevious bodily harm.
Defending, Sara Haque said the attack was “impulsive” and “spontaneous” but told the court that Parkin claimed she had suffered a history of ‘sigificant’ domestic abuse by her husband. She also said Ms Parkin struggled with a number of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder.
“The defendant is now 54 years old, and is making an appearance in crown court being convicted for the first time, in circumstances that have effectively torn her family apart,” Miss Haque said. She told the court that Ms Parkin was “remorseful” but that there had been a ‘degree of provocation’ from Mr Parkin.
“It’s clear that alcohol was an issue within the marriage,” she said, and told the court that Parkin had now accepted that the relationship was over.
