A victim of domestic abuse who killed his wife said she had threatened him with a knife before the fatal attack. Charles Graham, of Fairfield Road in Cheltenham, has been jailed for three years following the death of wife Davinia, who he strangled at their home in the early hours of Saturday, August 31, 2024.
Emergency services were called to their Fairfield Road home at around 3.30am on Saturday, August 31, to reports a woman had been seriously injured. The sentencing hearing, held on Thursday, March 6 at Bristol Crown Court, heard how 78-year-old Graham had been the victim of domestic abuse from his wife.
Graham phoned police on the night of the incident, saying he had killed his wife. He went on to say Davina, known as Dee to her friends, had threatened to stab him and he had “lost it,” strangling her to death. Dee was declared dead a the scene.
Graham was arrested at the scene and charged following an investigation by the Major Crime Investigation Team. He appeared at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, February 13 where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of loss of control, having denied murder.
In mitigation it was explained how Graham had been the victim of domestic abuse from his wife and has no previous convictions. Today, he was sentenced to three years in prison.
In a victim impact statement the pair’s daughter Paula described the impact the incident has had on their family saying: “On that day I lost both my parents and this is something that is very hard to deal with.”
Following the sentencing hearing, Detective Inspector Adam Stacey from the Major Crime Investigation Team said: “My thoughts remain with everyone who has been affected following this sad and upsetting incident.”