Mercy for Yorkie bar trucker who killed sick wife

Stuart Mungall, 71, ended the life of former actress Joan, 69, at their home in Tooting, south London, last December.

The prosecution accepted his plea in July of guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility caused by depression following the strain of caring for her.

Mungall smiled and was given a thumbs-up sign from supporters in the public gallery at the Old Bailey after being given a 12-month sentence suspended for two years.

Mungall was also placed under supervision for two years and the judge ordered regular reports so that any recurrence of his illness could be “nipped in the bud”.

Asked if he understood the sentence, Mungall replied: “Yes, I do.”

Outside court, Mungall’s solicitor, Laurence Imrie, said: “Mr Mungall would like this opportunity to thank all of those who have provided overwhelming support during this particularly difficult time.

“He is relieved that this matter has finally been concluded and he respects the court’s findings.

“Joan is at peace now and without pain. The family now request that their privacy be respected whilst they continue to grieve.”

The Recorder of London, Judge Peter Beaumont, was told there had been fears that Mungall would take his own life after being arrested for killing his partner of 40 years.

Judge Beaumont told Mungall he had led a “trustworthy and distinguished” life.

He had been devoted to his wife and cared for her while she suffered from a degenerative brain disease which left her bedbound and in pain.

The judge said: “You were not only her sole carer but you were were caring for her most basic need with unstinting devotion.”

Mungall’s plea did not extinguish his responsibility and “you will have to shoulder that responsibility for the rest of your life”.

The judge added: “You cannot take the life of another with impunity.”

Miranda Moore, QC, defending, said Mungall had served the equivalent of six months in custody before being granted bail.

She said: “They were totally devoted to each other. They were each other’s lives.

“At the time of her death, she had weeks to live. She was keen to stay in her own home with her husband.”

The court was told at the earlier hearing that Mungall smothered his wife with a pillow as she lay in bed in what he saw as a “mercy killing”.

Mungall found fame in the 1970s as the handsome lorry driver in the ads for the chunky chocolate.

He went on to appear in Casualty, The Bill and other television series.

In later years the couple ran a gardening centre in south London. They were described as being devoted to each other.

The business was sold because of wheelchair-bound Mrs Mungall’s failing health.

Mungall was said to have shunned offers of help in looking after his wife, although she received medical support at home.

Doctors said Mungall had suffered a depressive episode but he had now recovered.

Mrs Mungall had been a Royal Shakespeare Company player and she was said to be “realistic and sanguine” about her condition.

Mrs Mungall had been a life-long friend of actress Jane Asher, who spoke at her funeral, the court heard.