Pastor Morant convinces his wife to commit suicide and sentenced to 10 years` imprisonment (Australian News Photo)
A religious fanatic in Queensland was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pressuring his wife to commit suicide in return for his life insurance.
A 69-year-old Australian man, Morant (Graham Robert Morant), was sentenced to 10 years in prison yesterday for persuading and helping his wife commit suicide, the Australian News Network reported. There has been no precedent in Australia or the world for persuading others to commit suicide, a landmark judgment.
Morant, a self-proclaimed religious pastor, persuaded and helped his wife, Jennifer (Jennifer Morant), to end her life in an effort to secure up to A $1.4 million in life insurance benefits. He was able to build a fortress in the heartland of Gold Coast in preparation for the doomsday trial.
Jennifer committed suicide on Gold Coast in 2014 at the age of 56. The court heard that Jennifer suffered from a variety of chronic diseases, including depression, anxiety and back pain. When Jennifer`s body was found by police, there was a note "Don`t save me".
The hardware store surveillance video shows that the hardware equipment used by Jennifer to commit suicide was purchased by Morant.
Morant insisted on his innocence. The lawyers` team initially argued that Morant had nothing to do with his wife`s death, and then argued that he was acting out of sympathy and trying to alleviate his wife`s suffering.
Judge Davis (Peter Davis) ruled that Morant was economically motivated to exploit the vulnerability of a sick, frustrated woman.
Morant can apply for parole as early as 2023.
