Grieving man jailed for revenge attack after dead wife 'slagged off'
A grief-stricken man, who took violent revenge on a woman suspected of ‘slagging off’ his dead wife two weeks after her funeral, has been jailed for two years four months.
Wayne Chancellor, aged 50, got help from 53-year-old friend Paul Kerr who lived in the same block of flats as Tina Cannon, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
She opened her door to the older man thinking he was alone when he called on March 29, said Miss Raj Punia, prosecuting.
Miss Cannon did not realise Chancellor had slipped into her home until it was too late.
He wanted an explanation for why she had been making derogatory comments about his late wife but she denied being responsible. This angered Chancellor who, like Kerr, had been drinking.
The victim grabbed her mobile to phone 999 while screaming at both men to get out.
The person who answered her call heard a male voice in the background saying ‘I am going to kill you’, continued the prosecutor, who added: “Kerr did nothing to help.”
Chancellor took out a dressing gown cord, wrapped it round his hands, declared ‘lets kill her’ and punched the woman in the face.
He put the cord round her neck and started to pull it tight while she fought for her life.
Kerr just stood and watched as she managed to get fingers between the the ligature and her throat.
But within a minute he stepped in, told Chancellor to stop and got him out of the flat.
Father-of-one Chancellor told officers that he launched the attack because the victim had been ‘slagging off’ his late wife, who died suddenly aged 40.
The funeral had taken place a fortnight before the attack.
Mr Gurdeep Garcha, defending, said the loss had left him with sole care of their daughter.
The change drove him to heavy drinking, it was said.
The lawyer declared: “Hugely offensive remarks had been made about his late wife and once in the flat, with his mind clouded by alcohol, he lost self control and behaved very badly.
"The violence inflicted was nasty but very short lived."
Mr Martin Liddiard, for Kerr, said: “He did not physically assault or threaten the victim.
"He encouraged Chancellor by his presence but after about a minute stopped him and got him out of the flat."
Chancellor, from Arcal Street, Sedgley, admitted assault and making threats to kill. Kerr, of Wolverhampton Street, Dudley pleaded guilty to assault and was jailed for 10 months.
