Elderly woman is found not guilty of her husband’s death after he drowned in their backyard pool with weights tied around his waist
- Hazel Spenceley, 79, was accused of pushing her husband into pool in 2016
- Peter Spenceley, 80, drowned in backyard pool with weights around his waist
- They had been married for 57 years and Peter had underlying health issues
- Mrs Spenceley has been found not guilty of manslaughter over death in Perth
An elderly woman has been found not guilty of manslaughter after her husband drowned in their backyard pool with two 3.1kg dumbbells tied around his waist.
Hazel Spenceley, 79, was accused of killing her husband of 57 years, Peter Spenceley, 80, after claims she pushed him into the pool at their Perth home in December 2016.
Prosecutor Simon Freitag told the court that on the night of his death, Mrs Spenceley told three witnesses, including a police officer and a paramedic, she had shoved him in.
An elderly woman has been found not guilty of manslaughter after her husband drowned in their backyard pool with two 3.1kg dumbbells tied around his waist (pictured)
Hazel Spenceley (pictured) was found not guilty of manslaughter after her husband drowned in December 2016
'She was the difference between life and death. Without her push he was not in the water,' the prosecutor said.
Mrs Spenceley's lawyer Justine Fisher said her client was 'distressed, crying, frantic, trying to get assistance' and had meant she'd pushed him metaphorically, not literally.
Ms Fisher said their was no evidence Mrs Spenceley knew he had tied weights around his waist.
Her husband had underlying health issues and had wanted to die, the ABC reported.
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Ms Fisher said Mrs Spenceley wasn't responsible if the 80-year-old had kept himself under the water.
She said the couple loved each other very much and had plans to go on a cruise the following day.
Mr Freitag said he was not claiming that Mrs Spenceley had the intention of killing her husband, but told the court the act of pushing itself was a crime because it led to his death.
Mr Spenceley (pictured) reportedly had health issues and wanted to die
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