Could a London lie detector test have prevented the death of a wife. A 69 year old man from South-East London killed his wife after wrongly believing she was having an affair.
The Husband bludgeoned his wife to death with a marble chopping board at their home after 42 years of marriage. The man from Bexley mistakenly thought his wife had been having an affair with their handyman for two years. He developed paranoia about his spouse’s infidelity in late 2019 when he received a message from her by accident. The message said “are you coming today? X” but was for the workman. The X (kiss) aroused suspicion so he confronted his wife who explained it was a causal gesture she used regularly. She could have taken a South-East polygraph test to prove her innocence.
Could a lie detector test have prevented paranoia?
The handyman came to fix the freezer a few months later. The husband had built up a picture of the affair and lashed out in frustration. He hit the workman over the head with a crowbar but did not face prosecution. He left the marital home after the incident and lived in a hotel room for five weeks. The couple still met up occasionally for meals. His paranoia led him to regularly accuse his wife of infidelity, and of trying to poison his food. He stopped looking after himself properly, appeared unkempt and lost weight. Concerned about his appearance, his wife decided to let him back into the house. She had a lock fitted to her bedroom door as she was still concerned about her safety. Could a London lie detector test have allayed any of his fears and prevented his paranoia spiralling out of control?
Mental health struggles
The man killed his wife just two days after moving back into the family home. A friend found her on the kitchen floor. Her husband was at a local pub with a pint of lager and a packet of crisps. He admitted having blood on his clothes, and commented: “I’ve just had a terrible day.”
The court heard “he was gripped by psychotic delusions at the time of the killing”. He saw a nurse just days before attacking his wife and told her that he was not feeling well. The nurse mistook his symptoms for possible dementia and deferred his case. Her husband was close to retirement, employed for 40 years with no criminal history and no obvious reason for concern.
He pleaded not guilty to murder but admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility. He was detained indefinitely in a secure hospital for mental health treatment.
The prosecutor said “the initial text message was the likely genesis of the defendant becoming suspicious of an affair”. The wife could have taken a London polygraph test which could have proven her innocence and put her husband’s mind at rest. It may have helped to prevent the growing paranoia that was to ensue.
London lie detector could prove innocence and relieve stress
The couple both experienced high levels of stress throughout the two years of accusations of an affair taking place. A London lie detector test could have proven that the fears were unfounded and relieved the stress that developed. The husband may have been happy to accept the results and would have experienced peace of mind instead of turmoil.
If you are worried about your partner being unfaithful or if you are being wrongly accused of infidelity and want to clear your name, you can book a lie detector test by calling our free helpline to discuss the matter further. Alternatively, you can book a test online using our secure reservation system.
