GLASGOW MAN JAILED FOR WIFE’S STABBING IN DAYLIGHT MURDER
Office manager Lesley Bessant, 44, was murdered by her husband, Robert Bessant, 51, in a brutal attack in broad daylight outside her workplace, witnessed by terrified onlookers.Yesterday, Robert Bessant was sentenced to seven years in prison for culpable homicide.
The court heard that ten days before her death, Lesley Bessant had left her husband for his best friend, Mr.
Arthur Morrison, with whom she had been secretly involved for ten years.
Mrs Bessant and Mr Morrison, both dog breeders, had been in a relationship while Mrs Bessant was married to Robert Bessant.
She eventually decided to leave her husband on his 51st birthday and told him to put their champion rottweilers to sleep.
After a five-day trial, Bessant, of Conon Avenue, Bearsden, was acquitted of murder but was found guilty of culpable homicide due to diminished responsibility.
Witnesses described how Bessant attacked his wife, calling her a bitch and a whore, stabbing her 14 times with a screwdriver, and punching and kicking her.
The attack was caught on rooftop security cameras.
During the trial, Bessant revealed his suspicions about his wife’s affair, and the court heard about his deteriorating mental state.
The court was told that Bessant had confronted his wife about her affair, which led to her leaving him.
Bessant, an alcoholic, attempted to overdose on pills and whisky after discovering her infidelity.
On the morning of the killing, Bessant claimed he intended to hang himself but had no recollection of driving to his wife’s workplace or attacking her.
The judge sentenced him to seven years for culpable homicide.
