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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jul/11/manchester-woman-barbara-coombes-admits-killing-her-father
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| Barbara Coombes sentenced to nine years for killing her father | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A woman has been jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to the manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility of her 87-year-old father, whose body she had buried in the back garden. | |
| Barbara Coombes, 63, walked into a police station in Stockport on 7 January this year and told officers that she had killed Kenneth Coombes 12 years earlier. | |
| Detectives began a murder investigation and started digging up her garden in Reddish, Stockport. Two days after she confessed, police found the body of her father, Kenneth Coombes. | |
| He had never been reported missing and neighbours said they assumed he had moved away. | He had never been reported missing and neighbours said they assumed he had moved away. |
| At Manchester crown court on Wednesday, Coombes pleaded not guilty to murdering him but guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. | At Manchester crown court on Wednesday, Coombes pleaded not guilty to murdering him but guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. |
| Michelle Colborne, QC, prosecuting, said the crown accepted the plea and could not contest the defence’s claims that Coombes had suffered “a lifetime of abuse – verbal, physical and potentially sexual, at the hands of the deceased”. | Michelle Colborne, QC, prosecuting, said the crown accepted the plea and could not contest the defence’s claims that Coombes had suffered “a lifetime of abuse – verbal, physical and potentially sexual, at the hands of the deceased”. |
| She told the court that a psychiatrist had found that Coombes suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and a severe depressive illness. | She told the court that a psychiatrist had found that Coombes suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and a severe depressive illness. |
| The defendant had also suffered a series of “traumatic life events”, including being raped as a teenager and being in a serious road traffic accident. | The defendant had also suffered a series of “traumatic life events”, including being raped as a teenager and being in a serious road traffic accident. |
| In April this year Coombes appeared in court and denied murder but admitted three charges of fraud. She acknowledged she had sent letters pretending to be her father and passed herself of as his carer to claim benefits up until the day she confessed. | In April this year Coombes appeared in court and denied murder but admitted three charges of fraud. She acknowledged she had sent letters pretending to be her father and passed herself of as his carer to claim benefits up until the day she confessed. |
| She also pleaded guilty to preventing his lawful burial. Those charges could not be reported at the time because of a reporting restriction imposed by the judge, who feared it could prejudice a trial. | She also pleaded guilty to preventing his lawful burial. Those charges could not be reported at the time because of a reporting restriction imposed by the judge, who feared it could prejudice a trial. |
| On Wednesday Coombes changed her plea. | On Wednesday Coombes changed her plea. |
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