Doting husband turned into killer after stairs fall

Andrew Robinson

A PREVIOUSLY doting husband stabbed to death his wife of 42 years after suffering a personality-altering brain injury in a fall down stairs.

Caring husband David Ault, 68, had a “lovey-dovey” relationship with wife Jill, 63, but their idyllic life in Pollington, East Yorkshire, was shattered when Ault fell down the stairs in 2006, suffering damage to the frontal lobe of his brain, which controls behaviour.

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He spent months in Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, and was diagnosed with Dysexecutive Syndrome, which is known to cause character changes.

He returned home but his wife knew that “he was not the man she married” and he began to suffer delusions that she was planning to leave him.

That led to an obsession with money, culminating in him trying to force her to sign papers releasing equity on their three-bedroom home.

On March 5, two days after a violent argument over money, Ault stabbed his wife to death in the family home, then calmly dialled 999.

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Ault, who admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility, was given an indeterminate sentence for public protection and must serve a minimum of four years before he can be considered for release.

Judge Jeremy Richardson, sitting at Hull Crown Court, said yesterday: “The circumstances of this case are utterly tragic. It appears you became obsessed with the idea your wife no longer wanted to be with you, whereas she was entirely caring.”

Ault’s lawyer, Patrick Palmer, said the couple had shown each other a great deal of affection through their marriage.

He added that after Ault left hospital he was prescribed medication which was “inadequate”. In custody he had received more appropriate medication.

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The couple’s daughter, Rebecca Ault, 34, said the family felt let down by the hospital authorities.

“After dad’s fall we constantly raised our concerns with the hospital about his dramatic personality change but all they kept saying that was time was a healer.

“As a family we received no support or help from anyone – dad was given intensive treatment to get him back on his feet but after that he had no help.”

Last night Professor Tim Hendra, medical director at The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said it had provided “appropriate” care and Ault had been seen by a neuropsychologist.

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“For any patient who suffers a brain injury, we would always try to make every effort to support them with their condition both during their time in hospital and for as long as necessary after discharge.”

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