Man beats wife to death with garden gnome

Sat Feb 02, 2013 12:56 am » by **Dagnamski**

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/man-beats-wife-to-death-with-garden-gnome/story-e6freuy9-1226567200167

AN elderly ex-serviceman who beat his wife to death with a garden gnome before stabbing her ten times has been jailed for four years.

Frederick Gilliard, 76, said he 'just lost it' after a row with his wife Josephine, 74, to whom he had been married for 54 years.

Mr Gillard, who called police to the couple's Blackpool, UK home, told officers 'this is going to kill my kids, I loved that woman,' Preston Crown Court heard.

The couple were described as a 'decent, hardworking couple' who raised four children and had three grandchildren.

Members of his family wept in the public gallery as he was jailed.

Mr Gilliard had also served in the RAF for 27 years including seeing active service during the conflict in Aden, and had previously suffered from depression.

It was during a 'depressive episode' on February 5th last year, that Mr Gillard used a garden ornament shaped like an Easter Island statue, and an eight inch carving knife, to kill his wife, the court heard.

Mrs Gilliard, 74, who was attacked in their bedroom, suffered ‘catastrophic’ head injuries and ten stab wounds of ‘considerable force’ to her neck, chest and stomach.

He then dialled 999 telling the operator ‘I just lost it’ summoning police to the family home in Blackpool, Lancashire where his wife lay dead.

When officers arrived he said: ‘I can’t believe it. This is going to kill my kids. We have been married 54 years. I loved that woman.’
Gilliard was originally charged with murder but at an earlier hearing pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to his depression.

Passing sentence Judge Anthony Russell QC, Recorder of Preston, told the defendant: ‘This is a terrible tragedy which has affected all of your family and you, and must have inflicted considerable emotional damage which can never be repaired.’

Frail Gilliard, who walks with a stoop and wears glasses and hearing aids in both ears, could not hear proceedings and looked over to his family in the public gallery who held up four fingers to indicate the sentence.

Sat Feb 02, 2013 1:40 am » by **Evildweeb**

.

Those damn garden gnomes.

I bet the little fucker ran off afterwards too.

:ohno:

Sat Feb 02, 2013 2:08 am » by **420milehigh**

THATS IT!!!!!! BAN GARDEN GNOMES NOW IF YOU CARE ABOUT OUR ELDERLY!!!!! :badair:

Sat Feb 02, 2013 5:10 am » by **domdabears**

David the gnome.

Anyone? Anyone? No?

Okay

Sat Feb 02, 2013 5:11 am » by **Constabul**

domdabears wrote:David the gnome.

Anyone? Anyone? No?

Okay

Yeah, was my first thought

Sat Feb 02, 2013 5:26 am » by **Kinninigan**

i am going to hell, its sad someone died but the title made me piss myself!

Sat Feb 02, 2013 3:15 pm » by **Webcat**

Following this shocking incident, the British PM David 'Davey' Cameron has announced a special task force to deal with the problem, the gnome community will now be policed with special community/garden officers, drawn from all walks of gnome life. The PM has pledged safe gardens for all!

But I understand that 'smurfs' will be unable to apply despite EU guidelines.

They will take up their duties immediately, well, just as soon as the local graden centre can supply them....

Their first priority will be the growing gangs that trade in fertiliser and the trafficking of badgers, many are concerned by the violence that has accompained their garden wars.

Members of the notorious 'Flower Pot' cartel, noted for their violence and love of morris dancing........

I understand that special agents 'Bill & Ben', accompained by 'Little weed' will start looking into the shocking rise of gnome violence.

Leading the investigation will be the great gnome:

I know, I'm off to hell for this!

Sat Feb 02, 2013 3:26 pm » by **Slith**

Dagnamski wrote:
AN elderly ex-serviceman who beat his wife to death with a garden gnome before stabbing her ten times has been jailed for four years.

Ya gotta be f'kn kidding me! The sentence is more ridiculous than the crime name.

Sat Feb 02, 2013 5:09 pm » by **Eldorado**

These two gnomes look like killer jihadi gnomes.......

first one looks like hes got a bomb belt on and a trigger button in his hand ready to blow

the second one could easily be a terrorist, you never know about those killer gnomes....and that beard?? he's definitely a jihadi terrorist gnome.........

we've got a whole new kind of threat to our homeland.....killer gnomes....better outlaw their sales

The OP said that it was a gnome.........then it said the garden statue was an Easter Island Statue......WTF???

The title should say Killer Moai not gnomes.... :lol:

what a vivid imagination

It was during a 'depressive episode' on February 5th last year, that Mr Gillard used a garden ornament shaped like an Easter Island statue, and an eight inch carving knife, to kill his wife, the court heard.

Sat Feb 02, 2013 7:17 pm » by **Thruster**

Gnomes are vicious bastards - Deal with it.

Gnomes fear Gnome-one

They conspire against us, and when their evil plan develops this world will be Gnome-man's land.

The Gnazi Gnomes will bring a Gnome World Order.