CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses domestic violence and attempted suicide.
A woman in Queensland has been jailed for eight and a half years after killing her abusive husband with a vegetable soup, laden with pills. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Per the ABC, the now-deceased husband of Judith Ann Venn, Lance Hilton Venn had emotionally and physically abused the 69-year-old for decades, the Brisbane Supreme Court was told.
The grandmother had “reached the end of the road” according to her lawyer, and she proceeded made his favourite vegetable soup with the addition of 50 pills of his prescription medication.
She then attempted to take her own life.
In the days leading up to the incident, Lance had spent $20,000 on a boat which added a layer of financial stress to Judith’s situation.
“There were already four other boats in the backyard,” the defence lawyer for Mrs Venn, Chris Wilson, told the court.
“He had spent effectively all of their remaining finances on this boat.”
Wilson continued to say that “Lance Venn likely hit [Judith] very hard on the morning of his death.”
“After I considered her account and I saw the video of Judith Venn in a hospital bed, with two big black eyes and a yellowing bruise on the upper arm, [I think] she habitually understated his physical violence towards her in the year of 2020,” Wilson told the court.
Venn was a member of the Christadelphian church community, with her lawyer arguing that “to get to the stage where she planned to break rules that goes fundamentally against all of her religious beliefs, speaks volumes as to how depressed this woman was.”
Mrs Venn will be eligible for parole after three years behind bars.
Help is available.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
- If you’d like to speak to someone about domestic violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.