Sam Pybus claimed his fatal act was consensual, and was given just four years in prison
Although it takes some ingenuity to kill a woman and face no penalty whatsoever, the justice system continues to ensure that, for the right killing, in the right circumstances, the punishment – given the right judge – could still be a fraction of what you might expect.
Earlier this year, for instance, the five-year term for a man who blamed strangling his wife, Ruth Williams, on lockdown difficulties, confirmed that being married to your victim may actively – perhaps counterintuitively – heighten judicial compassion. Judge Paul Thomas thought Anthony Williams’s mental state must have been severely affected, though this was contradicted by a psychiatrist. The court of appeal refused to increase the sentence.
