A LONDON WOMAN has been jailed for 15 years for trying to kill her husband by spiking his Christmas Day wine with anti-freeze in 2013.
Jacqueline Patrick, 55, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder in September, and was sentenced this week at Inner London Crown Court.
21-year-old Katherine Patrick was also sentenced to three years in prison for inciting her mother to poison her father Douglas Patrick, 70, after text messages revealed her involvement, and she too pleaded guilty.
Although she ultimately admitted her actions, Jacqueline Patrick repeatedly told doctors and police lies and acted suspiciously, even giving ambulance staff a “Do Not Resuscitate” note, which she fraudulently claimed was on her husband’s behalf.
In all, Patrick made three attempts on her husband’s life, and discussed arranging an attack on him.
The first came on 26 October 2013, when she administered anti-freeze to his lager, and sent the following texts to her daughter:
11.37 am: I got the stuff I will give him some later delete txt tell no one ok
12.41 pm: I’ll give a little at first I brought it so no one else gets involved
5.23 pm: I’m given him some more at dinner (sic)
Three weeks later, she wrote: “He feels sick again I gave him more delete this.”
And on 28 November 2013, she texted her daughter:
May be some one could attack. Him when he goes to look at the car (sic).
Delete that.
Finally, on Christmas Day 2013, either Katherine or Jacqueline texted: “Dad’s not feeling well,” just after 11pm.
Douglas Patrick was admitted to hospital the following morning, after collapsing at the family’s home on Durning Road, in south London.
In the ambulance, at a time when her husband’s condition was unkown, Patrick gave emergency service personnel this note, which she claimed was written by her husband.
The word “dignity” is misspelled as “dignaty” in the note. When interviewed by police later on, Patrick was asked to write the word, and misspelled it in the same way.
Douglas Patrick was placed in an induced coma, and blood tests revealed he was suffering the effects of anti-freeze poisoning.
His wife told doctors she recalled he may have drunk a blue liquid by accident.
Hospital staff were concerned by the fact that Patrick hadn’t mentioned this earlier, and contacted police, who searched the family home.
Things got immeasurably worse for her, however, when Douglas regained consciousness in hospital on 8 January 2014, and gave an interview to investigators.
He told them he wasn’t suicidal, and hadn’t purchased or drunk any anti-freeze. All he could remember was having two small glasses of cherry-flavoured Lambrini fruit wine on Christmas Day, before feeling much more drunk than he ought to, before going to bed.
In October, he told police, he’d had a similar experience, collapsing after what he and his wife concluded was some dodgy “bootleg lager.”
The next day, Jacqueline and Katherine were arrested.
In her interrogation, the 55-year-old gave an account that was “full of inconsistencies,” according to police.
She admitted searching for anti-freeze poisoning on the internet, claiming her friend’s dog had accidentally consumed some.
Officers tracked down the ‘friend,’ who said he had never even owned a dog.
She also admitted buying anti-freeze on two occasions, but claimed it was at her husband’s request.
Ultimately, the women were charged in February 2014, but Jacqueline’s guilty plea saw a third attempted murder count dropped from her file.
Speaking after sentencing yesterday, lead investigator Detective Inspector Tracey Miller called the plot “appalling” and “calculated and well-planned”.
At a time when a family should be celebrating the festive season, Patrick was plotting how to get rid of her husband once and for all, aided by her daughter.
Mr Patrick came very close to dying and while he lay in his hospital bed fighting for his life, his wife told lie after lie to cover her tracks.
Perhaps most shocking of all was the note she gave to the London Ambulance Service purporting to be from her husband, stating that he did not wish to be resuscitated.
This was a calculated and well-planned plot and I am pleased Patrick admitted her crimes and her daughter also pleaded guilty to her role in encouraging her mother to act in this appalling manner.
Their actions will now see them spend a considerable period behind bars.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say