Over the weekend, there were tears of disbelief in Athlone after a 73-year-old woman allegedly stabbed her husband to death inside their home.
The soft-spoken and friendly grandmother is said to have been abused by her husband for years, and her family believes the stabbing was an accident.
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The woman is still in shock, according to the Hartseer family, after the incident on Thursday afternoon, as local lawyers line up to represent her in Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Her 75-year-old sister, who did not want to be identified, claims she was summoned to the house on Calendula Road to console her younger sister while she reported the incident to the police.
“In the beginning it was fine and I cannot say anything bad about that because he was a good provider,” she explains.
“His drinking had become worse over the years and she always told me how embarrassing it was when he was drunk and would nag about things that had happened more than 10 years ago.”
She claims the couple had been married for 35 years and had struggled due to her 72-year-old husband’s drinking problem.
“She explained it was hot and she was making something light for supper when he started nagging again.
“She was making salad and went to him in the room with the knife in her hand to tell him to stop complaining about a car that was written off 10 years ago in an accident.
“The police asked her how she was holding the knife and she explained to them as it was not in a threatening way,” the sister explains.
“She said the next thing she knew she saw blood coming from his chest. Knowing my sister, she could not have hurt a fly. This was an accident.”
She discovered her sister in the lounge having a conversation with cops. At the time, the couple’s son was at work. “I know that when he was drunk he could never even stand up, so I believe he must have fallen to the front,” their son said to the police.
Caroline Peters of the Callas Foundation says: “She was in shock and taken to a doctor as she suffers from anxiety attacks,” Caroline says.
“As an organisation we are going to court on Monday to call for non-custodial measures to be taken.
“This is a woman who was abused and does not deserve to be incarcerated as she is not violent at all.”
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Meanwhile, Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie says: “A quarrel ensued during which she allegedly stabbed the deceased in the chest with the knife she used during the preparation of the food.
“The suspect was arrested on scene and is due to appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Monday, facing a charge of murder.”