'I've killed my wife': BBC documentary captures harrowing moment pensioner phoned 999 to say he had beaten his partner, 86, to death with an iron bar because he couldn't cope with her dementia

  • Documentary makers captured the moment a man confessed to killing his wife
  • He said he killed her with an iron bar because he couldn't cope with her care
  • Documentary shows impact on 999 staff of having to deal with horrific issues 
  • The call is understood to be that of a man who killed his wife in an 'act of mercy' 

By Richard Spillett, Crime Correspondent For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

The dramatic moment a man confessed to killing his elderly wife with an iron bar was caught on camera by a film crew making a documentary.

A 999 call handler picked up the phone to the killer during the making of Ambulance, a series about the emergency service in the North West of England.

The man's first words were: 'I've killed my wife.'

He continued: 'She can't walk. She's incontinent, and I can't cope. So I've killed her.'

The documentary Ambulance last night showed the moment a man confessed to a 999 call handler that he had killed his wife

The documentary Ambulance last night showed the moment a man confessed to a 999 call handler that he had killed his wife

In the dramatic footage broadcast on BBC 1 last night, the man then tells the call handler his wife is 86 and he had hit her with an iron bar.

Bizarrely, he then asked the police not to use sirens, as there was a little girl's birthday party next door and he feared it would ruin it. 

He says of his wife: 'She's dead, that's all you need to know.'

The call is understood to that of Lawrence Franks, an 84-year-old retired lifeguard who killed his wife of 62 years, Patricia, as an 'act of mercy' when he realised she was about to be moved into a care home. 

The call is understood to be that of Lawrence Franks, who killed his wife in an 'act of mercy' last summer

The call is understood to be that of Lawrence Franks, who killed his wife in an 'act of mercy' last summer

Franks was later charged with murder, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility. He was given two years' jail, suspended for two years, last November.

A judge sentencing him of Mrs Franks: 'She was particularly anxious not to be placed in a care home, and this was said so repeatedly that this was a genuine concern. But as her health deteriorated, the burden of looking after her became even harder for you. 

'You did not cope with that any longer and as you say it that was the inevitable prospect of her being moved into a care home. That was the last thing you or your wife wanted.

'She was completely unaware of what happened to her. There was an abnormality in your mental function. Doctors have confirmed this was diminished responsibility. You are a man on hitherto entirely good character. 

'These are extraordinary circumstances and you have extreme personal mitigation. The killing of your wife was an unlawful act and the court must remember the importance of the sanction of human life must never be undermined.

'But you are of good character and there was a lack of premeditation. The act was a spur of the moment and your genuine belief this was an act of mercy.' 

The documentary showed the impact of handling such emotionally charged calls on staff. The call handler, named only as Frank, had to take time out after the call

The documentary showed the impact of handling such emotionally charged calls on staff. The call handler, named only as Frank, had to take time out after the call

The BBC documentary also shows the strain put on emergency service staff due to the distressing issues they have to deal with.

The call handler, named only as Frank, says it is the second time he has answered such a call, and takes time out to recover himself.

Another call handler said he was repeatedly receiving calls about people who were unconscious or struggling to breath.

 

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