The Mancunian Way: An act of love

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by BETH ABBIT - Fri July 22, 2022

Hello and welcome,

Graham Mansfield’s conviction for manslaughter following a failed suicide pact with his wife raises a number of questions. The pensioner says the case should never have reached court and believes euthanasia should be legalised in the UK.

Our crown court reporter Andrew Bardsley has covered the trial in depth. We’ll be discussing the case with him and explaining why the pensioner was prosecuted.

An act of love

When Dyanne Mansfield was told she had stage four lung cancer, she asked her husband Graham to kill her if things got 'too bad'. He agreed on the proviso that he would ‘go with her’ as he couldn’t live without her.

So when Mrs Mansfield found herself in unbearable pain, the devoted couple drove out to Buxton and Macclesfield to find a 'quiet' and 'convenient' place to carry out the pact. Instead they decided to use their garden the following day.

In an exclusive interview, Mr Mansfield told reporter Damon Wilkinson how he had made arrangements beforehand - cancelling the papers, the milk delivery and the window cleaner, emptying the freezer and tidying the house.

A note left nearby addressed to police read: "We have decided to take our own lives."

The couple’s last night together was spent 'crying and telling each other how much we loved one another'.

At around 5pm the next day they poured themselves drinks, made their way down to the bottom of the garden of their home in Hale, and sat at two chairs.

After checking if she was