KINGSTON MAN SENTENCED TO 5 YEARS FOR MANSLAUGHTER AND DISMEMBERMENT OF WIFE
A man named Paul Dalton from Kingston, Surrey, was sentenced to a total of five years in prison following the murder of his wife.Dalton was found guilty of manslaughter on Friday at the Old Bailey, after being cleared of murder.
During the trial, evidence revealed that Dalton had killed his wife by striking her with a forceful blow to the jaw, which fractured her in two places, and then proceeded to dismember her body.
He admitted to chopping her into nine pieces, storing the remains in a freezer, and fleeing to Japan.
Court testimony included his account that he unintentionally killed her during an argument when she accused him of infidelity and threatened him.
He stated, "As she came forward, I just lashed out at her.
It just happened so quickly.
I didn't intend to hit her," and described the act as a blind panic.
Dalton told the jury he bought an electric saw and a freezer afterward, and moved her body to the front room before dismembering her.
He claimed his actions were driven by fear and a desire to hide what had happened, stating, "My brain was on fire." The prosecution argued that Dalton intended to dispose of her remains in the Thames but fled the country out of fear, which led to his arrest in Japan.
Dalton maintains his innocence regarding murder, admitting only to killing her and hindering a burial.
The court sentenced him to two years for manslaughter and three years for preventing the burial, with Mr.
Justice Gross describing his crime as a "very serious, horrific offence." Dalton, a computer specialist who abstains from alcohol, described his wife as domineering and controlling, claiming she once stole his passport and bullied him at work.
They married in 1997, and his wife’s behavior allegedly included treating him like a slave and denying him wages from his business.
