A female individual who was characterized as a "dedicated daughter" has been handed down a suspended jail term following her admission to the manslaughter charge concerning her father, who had an incurable illness.
Doctor Lisa Davenport utilized a pillow to suffocate Barrie Davenport, aged 88, at the Foxhall Court retirement facility in Banbury on October 17, 2022.
Giving her a two-year suspended jail term, Judge Mr Justice Linden stated: "I acknowledge that I have opted for a lenient path."
During an earlier proceeding, Davenport refuted the charges of murder but admitted to manslaughter based on claims of reduced culpability.
On Friday, at Oxford Crown Court, it was revealed that Mr Davenport was grappling with incurable pancreatic cancer and experienced significant discomfort during his last moments.
John Price KC, who was leading the prosecution, stated that Davenport, from Middleton Cheney in Northamptonshire, had expressed distress over her father’s appearance.
"This background might explain why a devoted daughter did what she did to her father that evening," he said.
Mr Price said staff at Mr Davenport's retirement complex and a doctor did not initially suspect foul play because his death was expected to be imminent.
"The physician declared him deceased at 10 PM on October 17, and it was thought to be from natural causes," he stated.
However, that was incorrect, as Mr. Davenport had actually been unlawfully killed by his daughter, the defendant Lisa Davenport.
Shortly after 7 AM, she suffocated her father with a pillow while he was lying in bed.
Mr. Price stated that Davenport admitted an hour later to a neighbor and close family friend what she had done, pleading with them not to disclose this information.
The next day, she informed the manager at the retirement community as well, leading them to notify law enforcement.
"If not for those confessions later stating he had been wrongfully killed, it wouldn’t have come to light," Mr. Price stated.
The evidence indicates that after receiving his terminal diagnosis, the defendant became an attentive caregiver for her father as his health deteriorated.
Indeed, nobody could have done more for an obviously dying parent than she did.
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Related internet links
- UK Courts & Tribunal Service
