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01/02/2013
Man Jailed For Giving Wife Overdose Of Morphine
A 53-year-old man has been jailed for administering an overdose of prescription drugs to his wife, to give himself a day of respite.
Stephen Hirst acted as full-time carer for his wife for the five years they were married.
On the morning of 30 September last year Hirst gave his wife, Catherine, six times her normal dose of morphine so that she would sleep all day and leave him free to rest.
Mrs Hirst, 42, suffers long-term medical problems resulting from being a double leg amputee and was prescribed morphine by her doctor.
Exeter crown court heard that on September 30 2012, she woke up and took what she believed were her usual two 10mg tablets, which her husband left by her bed the night before.
It was only later she discovered that Mr Hirst had replaced the usual dose with two 60mg tablets, the court heard.
The following day she contacted the NHS Direct telephone helpline to ask whether she should take her usual prescription, given the overdose the previous day. NHS staff were so concerned they contacted police and Hirst was arrested.
Mrs Hirst did not suffer any permanent effects but has begun divorce proceedings and Hirst has been living with his 87-year-old mother in Leeds.
Hirst, a father-of-two, pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawfully administering a drug intending to "injure or aggrieve" his wife. He denied the more serious charge of unlawfully administering a drug intending to "endanger" her life.
Hirst was jailed for 13 months.
Meanwhile, Hirst also admitted one charge of making an indecent photograph and three of possession of an indecent photograph of a child. Those charges related to several hundred indecent images found on his wife's laptop when he was arrested. The judge imposed a one-month prison sentence to run concurrently for the charges relating to the indecent images.
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Stephen Hirst acted as full-time carer for his wife for the five years they were married.
On the morning of 30 September last year Hirst gave his wife, Catherine, six times her normal dose of morphine so that she would sleep all day and leave him free to rest.
Mrs Hirst, 42, suffers long-term medical problems resulting from being a double leg amputee and was prescribed morphine by her doctor.
Exeter crown court heard that on September 30 2012, she woke up and took what she believed were her usual two 10mg tablets, which her husband left by her bed the night before.
It was only later she discovered that Mr Hirst had replaced the usual dose with two 60mg tablets, the court heard.
The following day she contacted the NHS Direct telephone helpline to ask whether she should take her usual prescription, given the overdose the previous day. NHS staff were so concerned they contacted police and Hirst was arrested.
Mrs Hirst did not suffer any permanent effects but has begun divorce proceedings and Hirst has been living with his 87-year-old mother in Leeds.
Hirst, a father-of-two, pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawfully administering a drug intending to "injure or aggrieve" his wife. He denied the more serious charge of unlawfully administering a drug intending to "endanger" her life.
Hirst was jailed for 13 months.
Meanwhile, Hirst also admitted one charge of making an indecent photograph and three of possession of an indecent photograph of a child. Those charges related to several hundred indecent images found on his wife's laptop when he was arrested. The judge imposed a one-month prison sentence to run concurrently for the charges relating to the indecent images.
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