Pensioner, 90, who stabbed his blind wife while she slept is hauled back to court

Edward Turpin, 90, who stabbed his blind wife in the chest as she slept has been hauled back into court after refusing to wear an electronic tag.

The retired Smithfield butcher stabbed Joan Turpin, 90, four times in the chest in their home because he could not cope with caring for her.

The aged woman suffered two stab wounds to the chest and two to her upper abdomen The injuries to her chest caused her right lung to collapse. 

He returned to the Old Bailey wearing a brown coat, grey tracksuit bottoms and walking with a stick and was given an extra seven days on top of his curfew of three months for refusing to install his tag.

The attack happened at their home in Ringshall Road, Orpington, Kent, on September, 22, 2021, after nearly 70 years of marriage.

Mrs Turpin recorded a video while she was in hospital detailing what happened to her. She said: ‘He woke me up with the knife in my chest, telling me he couldn’t take any more.

‘It made him ill and then the knife went in. I was screaming for help.’

Edward denied and was cleared of attempted murder and was convicted of a lesser alternative charge of unlawful wounding.

He was sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for two years earlier this year and was also given an electronically monitored curfew between 9pm and 7am for three months, meant to commence upon his discharge from hospital.

Prosecutor Alistair Richardson said there had been a number of attempts to install the electronic ankle tag, but the first two had been at 10.48pm and 11.48pm and Turpin did not answer the door.

His niece requested a daytime appointment and they attend at lunchtime on 10 October, but Turpin refused to have the equipment installed.Mr Richardson said that because there had been a breach of the suspended sentence the court must activate the prison sentence unless it would be unjust to do so.

Simon Gledhill, defending, said that the electronic tag company attending at 20 to midnight had caused Turpin considerable anxiety.

He said: ‘He is very apologetic, it has been traumatic for him to come to court today and he does not wish to attend again.

‘He has not been going out between 9pm and 7am, he is increasingly housebound in any event.’

Judge Alexia Durran said: ‘That is why I set the order in those terms, not expecting Mr Turpin was going to be living it up between nine in the evening and seven in the morning.’

She told Turpin: ‘There may have been some confusion about what the order was and I can well understand why you were distressed by people arriving very late at night, it’s not nice for anybody and particularly for someone of your age.

‘Strictly speaking I am meant to send you to prison today because you have not complied with the order I have made

.‘I don’t want to do that Mr Turpin. I am persuaded it would be unjust to send you to prison today, but you have to comply and if you don’t I have to send you to prison,’ the judge continued.

Mr Turpin said he would comply right now, pointing at his leg.

Judge Durran said: ‘You are going to have to spend three months in your house and I have to mark fact you have strictly speaking breached the order- so I’m going to add seven days, making the total three months and seven days.

‘It’s important that you let them in to install the equipment and we can end this rather sorry saga for you.’

The court believed that Mr Turpin was acting under incredible stress. Otherwise, there is no sensible explanation to attack the person who you hold most dear.