jpillian Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/11/20/uk.crime.strangle/index.html Man who killed wife while dreaming is freed London, England (CNN) -- A British man who strangled his wife in his sleep while dreaming that she was an intruder walked free from court Friday after the case against him was withdrawn, prosecutors said. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service requested that the case against Brian Thomas, who killed wife Christine while they were on vacation in 2008, be dropped due to a "unique set of circumstances." Thomas, 59, of Neath, South Wales, had been on trial for murder at Swansea Crown Court, with prosecutors seeking a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity that would have resulted in psychiatric custody. But they said a closer study of evidence led them to believe the defendant should be released without further action. "We have duty to keep cases under continuous review, and following expert evidence from a psychiatrist it was suggested no useful purpose would be served by Mr Thomas being detained and treated in a psychiatric hospital," prosecutor Iwan Jenkins said in a statement. Jenkins said that there had never been any doubt that Thomas caused his wife's death, but the prosecution accepted evidence from experts on sleep disorders that indicated he should not be convicted of murder or manslaughter. "We therefore have offered no further evidence and asked the jury to return a simple verdict of not guilty." The court erupted in shouts of "yes" as family members greeted the outcome with jubilation, according to the UK Press Association. "The death of Christine Thomas was thoroughly investigated by Dyfed Powys Police. Investigations continued after Mr Thomas was charged and involved the instruction of experts in several fields," Jenkins said. "I must emphasize that the circumstances of this case are almost unique in the UK and there have been fewer than 50 instances recorded worldwide. It is only because of highly sophisticated tests carried out by sleep experts that Mr Thomas's condition could be confirmed. "Our thoughts remain with the family of Brian and Christine Thomas, who have remained dignified throughout this difficult time." The brief trial, which opened Tuesday, heard that Thomas killed his wife while the pair were taking a camper van vacation in western Wales, PA reported. One night, Thomas -- who experts said may have been suffering worsening dreams due to withdrawal from anti-depressants -- experienced a violent nightmare in which he attacked and fought an intruder and got him in a headlock, only to wake and find he had strangled his wife. Click link for rest of story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnyderShrugged Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 LOL, That has such a feeling of BS. He choked her in a "dream" of an intruder? I just dont buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpillian Posted November 20, 2009 Author Share Posted November 20, 2009 So, I'd be interested in what evidence the sleep disorders experts presented that proved this so conclusively? That the prosecution ended up withdrawing the case? Extremely interesting stuff. From a purely academic point of view of course. (the closest I could get to a strangulating smiiley) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unforgiven Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Yeah that's...strange. I mean the guy is capable of killing someone in his sleep but he needs no treatment for that at least? I guess if it is true then it's going to eat at the poor guy the rest of his life (I know it would me), but it's just so hard to believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 So, I'd be interested in what evidence the sleep disorders experts presented that proved this so conclusively? That the prosecution ended up withdrawing the case? Extremely interesting stuff. From a purely academic point of view of course. :paranoid: I just can't see how you "prove" he had a dream that would have caused him to kill his wife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drop Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 well it says he was suffering withdrawals from his anti-depressants. so they probably started by taking into account what medicines he was on, and exactly what those do to your brain in correlation with sleep, and sleep patterns....and then what effects they can have on the brain and sleep patterns when the usage of the drug(s) is/are stopped. now combine those results with all of the things going on in their lives. For example, were they having financial troubles, were they violent towards one another, did they have a history of recreational drug problems etc etc. If there were no red flags thrown up from any outside sources that would lead them to believe this could be something other than what he claimed, then i could see how they could find it "highly plausible" that what he was saying is the truth. It may not be 100% proof, but it sounds like they had even less proof or reason to believe that he outright murdered her. remember, they have to prove that he's a murderer...not that he isn't one, and it sounds to me like they couldn't do that. so yes, it's hard to believe. but come on, we've heard of way crazyer stuff than this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mike Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 LOL, That has such a feeling of BS. He choked her in a "dream" of an intruder? I just dont buy it. Well the reality is that a sleep study was done. A sleep study means you are hooked up to a machine that monitors brain waves and they video tape you while you sleep. If it showed that the man physically acts out his dreams then there is very strong cause to believe his story. You cant fake REM sleep and you cant fake what you do while asleep in a dream (REM) state. I imagine they also looked into their personal lives and found no motive. It may *sound* strange to you, but if the above situation is true, it would be wrong to convict him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubbs Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 LOL, That has such a feeling of BS. He choked her in a "dream" of an intruder? I just dont buy it. I mean, it's definitely a crazy story, but people do some weird-ass things in their sleep. (Like having sex. Which sounds fun until you hear that you won't remember it, and might be doing it with a girl who looks like Notorious B.I.G.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoRUSupposed2Be Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Well the reality is that a sleep study was done. A sleep study means you are hooked up to a machine that monitors brain waves and they video tape you while you sleep. If it showed that the man physically acts out his dreams then there is very strong cause to believe his story. You cant fake REM sleep and you cant fake what you do while asleep in a dream (REM) state. I imagine they also looked into their personal lives and found no motive. It may *sound* strange to you, but if the above situation is true, it would be wrong to convict him. How does the REM work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 How does the REM work? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la56RbLpAYE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madison Redskin Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 My fiance has seen me sleepwalk, "sleeptalk" with my eyes open, and do a lot of other things while fully asleep. When I was in ROTC and had just finished a training exercise at Fort Drum, NY, I had a nightmare that I was on a base that had been overrun. I leapt out of bed, draped covers over my body (which I dreamt were part of a ghille suit), yelled that we needed to get the **** out of there, and ran down the hall outside of my bedroom. My then-girlfriend was scared as hell. So, I don't know whether this guy is telling the truth, but people do sleepwalk and I am not at all surprised that something like this happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 It may have been legitimate for this guy, but unfortunately it may have set a precedent for guys who want to kill their wives, to "pretend" they did it during a nightmare. I expect the amount of these types of trials to increase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Tater Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 I mean, it's definitely a crazy story, but people do some weird-ass things in their sleep. (Like having sex. Which sounds fun until you hear that you won't remember it, and might be doing it with a girl who looks like Notorious B.I.G.) Well if she looks like Notorious B.I.G., why would you want to remember? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulane Skins Fan Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Am I the only one who feels bad for the guy who apparently killed his own wife in his sleep? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsHokieFan Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Am I the only one who feels bad for the guy who apparently killed his own wife in his sleep? Nope. This guy has to feel the worst amongst everyone. Yea he is free, but he killed his wife! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mike Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 How does the REM work? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_eye_movement_sleep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IONTOP Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Nope.This guy has to feel the worst amongst everyone. Yea he is free, but he killed his wife! Man he's going to need a lot of antidepressants to get over this one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Man he's going to need a lot of antidepressants to get over this one... Apparently he already has been, and that's what caused his nightmares. So, if I'm his next girlfriend, I insist he get off the antidepressants, or not date him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IONTOP Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 So, if I'm his next girlfriend, I insist he get off the antidepressants, or not date him. Actually it was the withdrawl that made him crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Actually it was the withdrawl that made him crazy Withdrawals from antidepressants are pure hell. Some of their withdrawals are worse than those of heroine. Antidepressants are of the devil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-Dog Night Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Damn, that's a good one. Why didn't I think of that? :evilg: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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