Penelope Jackson: Wife jailed for minimum of 18 years for murdering husband ‘after row over bubble and squeak’

Bristol Crown Court jury deliberated for almost 11 hours before reaching decision

A woman has been jailed for a minimum of 18 years for the murder of her husband following an argument about bubble and squeak.

Penelope Jackson, a retired accountant, stabbed her partner David, 78, three times, before calling the emergency services and refusing to apply pressure to his wounds.

Bristol Crown Court heard that Jackson told the 999 operator that her husband of 24 years was “bleeding to death with any luck”.

The retired lieutenant colonel later died after his wife did nothing to stem the bleeding.

“It’s murder now, not attempted murder? Oh good,” Jackson told the officers who arrested her.

The former accountant later denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter, saying she had “lost all control” after years of abuse from her partner. She claimed he used to strangle and kick her.

The murder took place on 13 February after the couple had eaten over Zoom with their daughter and son-in-law Isabelle and Tom Potterton.

The pair had argued over the addition of bubble and squeak to a gourmet steak meal bought for them by Ms Potterton.

Jackson told the court that she took a knife upstairs that evening to end her own life but instead walked into her husband’s room.

In her testimony, she said she stabbed her husband after he refused to apologise to her and displayed “utter contempt”.

She added: “If I had been the normal Penny, I wouldn’t have done it.

“I am sorry, I lost the plot and lost control.”

Witnesses said the couple would sometimes argue but suggested their marriage did not seem acrimonious.

They described the victim and defendant as a couple that seemed happy together - who would bicker but with rows never lasting long.

In her victim impact statement, Ms Potterton said: "I have lost the man that I looked up to and loved. I have lost the man that was always there for me no matter what."

She added: "But I feel I have also lost my mum. I have lost the woman who always knew how to make me feel better.

"The woman who was my friend, my champion and my support. The woman who cared, cherished and loved me.

"Yes, I know mum is here, but she's not the same person I knew. I don't know what the future holds but I do know that the relationship I once cherished can never be built back to what it was.

"You've taken so much from a family that has already felt so much pain," she said.

Ms Potterton recalled three instances of serious aggression by her father against her mother between 1997 and 1998, including pulling a knife on her and once giving her a bloody nose.

But she agreed this had taken place in the immediate aftermath of the suicide of Mr Jackson's son, Gavin, from his previous marriage.

Ms Potterton said she believed her father had sought counselling to cope with his grief, and agreed her parents seemed to be enjoying a happy retirement together with lots of shared interests including cruise holidays and gardening.

Acknowledging the past violence, Judge Picton said, regardless of the circumstances, Mr Jackson's actions had been "very wrong".

But he added that, after receiving treatment, the victim and the defendant had spent many years together, sharing "many periods of what must have been very happy times".

Jane Calverley, Mr Jackson's daughter from his first marriage, from whom he was estranged, accused the defendant of being the abuser in the relationship.

Ms Calverley said her father would never have sought help because he would have been too proud to admit to being bullied and abused by his wife.

She said: "You have taken so much from us all. My father was a proud man, this probably cost him his life because he would he would never have sought help."

Ms Calverley said the defendant had "ultimate power" over the victim, adding: "You held on so tight to him and controlled him to prevent him from leaving."

Sally Helliwell, senior prosecutor for the south west with the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "This has been a difficult and tragic case to prosecute. As with all domestic homicides we needed to ensure the case was handled with the greatest of care and thoughtfulness.

"The strength of the multimedia and the evidence from friends and family that was presented in this case left the jury in little doubt that Penelope Jackson was guilty of murdering her husband.

"Our thoughts remain with the family. I would like to thank them for their support in this prosecution and the way they have conducted themselves during the trial. I hope this conviction provides some sense of justice for the family and friends of David Jackson."

Additional reporting by PA