PACKIAN RAMANATHAN, 73, SENTENCED IN EAST LONDON FOR MANSLAUGHTER OF HUSBAND
Packian Ramanathan, a 73-year-old woman, was convicted of manslaughter for the death of her 76-year-old disabled husband, Kanagusabi Ramanathan, whom she struck with a wooden stick inside their home in Newham, east London, on 21 September of the previous year.At the Old Bailey, she was acquitted of murder but admitted to manslaughter.
The judge described her as a "good person" and sentenced her to two years and four months in prison.
During the hearing, it was revealed that the couple had a arranged marriage in 1983 after fleeing Sri Lanka due to the civil war.
The court heard reports that the husband was physically and verbally abusive, treating his wife as "a servant," using "filthy language," and accusing her of being unfaithful with a fishmonger.
Ramanathan explained that during the incident she entered a "trance" after her husband threw a stick at her, and in that state, she used the stick to beat him.
Her barrister described her as a "wonderful person," characterized as "quiet, reserved and upstanding," while the judge noted that her husband was a "control freak" who subjected her to "coercive and controlling behavior." She now faces the risk of deportation to Germany, where she has no family, and she also fears returning to Sri Lanka.
Since her arrest, she has spent 194 days in custody.
