Man cleared of aunt's murder

Bevan Roberts has already served his jail term

A man who stabbed his bed-ridden aunt to death after he suffered years of nagging and abuse has been cleared of her murder by the Court of Appeal.

Bevan Roberts cared for elderly Grace Edwards for more than a decade, but in return received nothing but nagging and complaints about his lack of care, said Lord Justice Judge.

The court heard his usual response was, at worst, to shout at her in frustration, but he finally struck out after the 85-year-old said he was "rotten".

Roberts, a senior planning officer and a father-of-two, stabbed his aunt 18 times. On Wednesday his murder conviction was reduced to manslaughter.

The nagging descended into abuse, and sometimes hysteria

Lord Justice Judge

Announcing the decision, the judge said the defence of provocation had not been adequately explored in court at Roberts' original trial, at Chester Crown Court in April 1994.

Roberts, now 61, of Maes Dolwen, Ruthin, north Wales, who was released from his original life sentence last September, was not in court on Wednesday to hear the judgement.

Lord Justice Judge, sitting with Mr Justice Garland and Mr Justice Nelson, directed that Roberts should receive a seven-year sentence for manslaughter, which he has already completed.

'Persistently offensive'

The court heard that Roberts was constantly nagged by his aunt despite his care and devotion.

"The nagging descended into abuse, and sometimes hysteria," said Lord Justice Judge, who added that the old woman had been "persistently and ungratefully offensive" to her nephew.

Something inside him snapped

Lord Justice Judge

Expert medical evidence suggested the "stress and trauma" of facing a daily ordeal with his aunt had plunged Roberts into depressive illness.

On the night of the killing he had argued with his wife and, when he arrived at his aunt's house to carry out his chores, she began "screaming and shouting at him that he was 'rotten'".

"Something inside him snapped," said the judge. "He stabbed her. He could not recall how many times he had stabbed her and indeed he did not really realise what he had done for a little while."

'Sense of duty'

Roberts called the police soon after, and he told officers who found him standing beside his aunt's bed: "I've killed her... there's the knife, I've stabbed her."

The judge said Roberts had shown "a remarkable sense of duty towards his aunt" and had never been violent towards her before the day of her death.

Witnesses had described him "visibly or physically shaking with frustration" after visiting his aunt.

But Roberts had shown "a continued determination to reject the idea of abandoning her because, as he recognised, no one else could or would provide the same level of care for her".

The judge concluded: "We are troubled by this conviction. We do not think it safe. Accordingly the appeal will be allowed. The conviction for murder will be quashed. A verdict of manslaughter will be substituted."