A man who slashed his wife’s throat and killed the family dog before causing himself a ‘catastrophic’ injury won’t face punishment – because he’s too unwell to stand trial, Salisbury Crown Court heard.
Michael Lee Orton took a craft knife to his pet Akita named Kora before repeatedly slashing his wife Helen across the face and neck in an attack on the Isle of Wight in June 2022.
The 60-year-old plumber went on to slash his own neck, hitting an artery and spraying blood across the couple’s detached bungalow in Binstead.
At a fact-finding hearing before Judge Timothy Mousley KC at Salisbury Crown Court this week, a jury unanimously concluded that Mr Orton carried out the acts in one hour and 20 minutes.
He won’t face criminal proceedings – on charges of attempted murder and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal – due to suffering neurological defects in a stroke shortly after attempting to take his own life.
As well as providing emergency first aid to Mr Orton and his wife, police also attempted to save Kora – but as they carried her to the police van to blue-light her to the vets, she passed away.
Mrs Orton – who lived in Swindon with Mr Orton in 2007 – has stood by her husband since the incident, visiting him in hospital and withdrawing a statement she provided to the police investigating the attack.
Mr Orton, who is now wheelchair-bound and cannot complete day-to-day tasks like washing, was released from a five-month stay on remand in custody on bail to live at his home address – where his wife will care for him.
A hearing at Isle of Wight Crown Court in May will determine whether or not he will be handed a community supervision order or an absolute discharge.
- Read the full in-depth court story on Island Echo.
