Briton, 93, who suffocated his wife is jailed for murder

A 93-year-old Briton who is expected to die within six months was sentenced to nine years in prison for the “mercy killing” of his “darling” wife.

The judge in a court in the Australian capital described on Monday how the childless couple, who emigrated to Australia 50 years ago, had ended their “Canberra dream”.

Donald Morley doted on his wife, Jean, who was suffering from dementia, for decades before suffocating her with a pillow when she was 92. His barrister described it as a “mercy killing”, committed by a man who believed, as the couple’s health rapidly declined, they had “lived too long”.

Justice David Mossop sentenced Morley to nine years in jail with a non-parole period of four-and-a-half years. Mossop noted that Morley is expected to die within six months because of his “grievous state of health”.

“Murder remains murder, notwithstanding the age or infirmity of the victim or the perpetrator,” the judge said during sentencing.

The Morleys met in the UK at the age of 16, married seven years later and moved to Australia. Morley worked at the Royal Australian Mint while his wife was employed as an administrative assistant. Mossop said they were known as a loving couple who “did everything together”.

“The offender always used to call Jean ‘my darling’,” the judge said.

But in recent years, their health began to decline rapidly. Morley was suffering from multiple health problems, including skin cancer. He declined hospital treatment because he was worried about leaving his wife alone. Mrs Morley would become distressed if she were left alone owing to her worsening dementia.

Despite some discussions about voluntary euthanasia, the couple had not made a suicide pact. Mossop emphasised that Mrs Morley had not asked to be killed.

The judge detailed how, in July last year, the couple went for lunch with friends and did not enjoy themselves. Morley would later tell police that he thought this was a sign they had “reached the end”.

That night Morley waited until his wife went to bed at their home in the Canberra suburb of Fisher. At about 9pm, he smothered her with a pillow and then lay awake beside her body, trying but failing in his attempts to kill himself.

His crime was discovered the next day, when a nurse visited their house. He cried as he confessed, telling the nurse he had done “a terrible thing”. Police later seized a suicide note, in which Morley apologised and wrote that the couple had been “afraid of the future”.

Mossop said it was unfortunate the couple had not had any younger people, such as children, to help them navigate the challenges of being “very old people”. While the judge acknowledged the murder was not motivated by malice, he said the offence involved “a gross breach of trust” in which Mrs Morley was killed by her husband in her home.

Morley, who has been remanded in custody since his arrest the day after the murder, watched via video link from a Canberra hospice, where he is receiving palliative care.