3:50pm Friday 20th November 2009
By Harry Miller
The architect who tried to suffocate his third wife with a pillow after she demanded a divorce has been jailed for seven years.
Clive Wille, from Addiscombe, was convicted at the Old Bailey in October and was sentenced today (Friday) to seven years for attempted murder and two years for threatening to kill.
The court heard earlier that the 56-year-old straddled his wife Susan, 37, while she lay in bed and held a pillow over her face and shouted “die you bitch”.
The court heard Wille, who has a history of depression, held the pillow over her face for at least five minutes before realising what he was doing.
He dialled 999 and told the operator: “I damn near tried to kill my wife and I walked away from it and I need some help.”
The couple, who have been married for 10 years, had financial difficulties, the court was told.
Wille lost his job as an architect in 2008 after repeatedly collapsing from the side-effects of his medication for depression, the court was told.
During his trial, the court heard when he stopped taking the drugs he suffered violent mood swings and started to drink heavily.
On April 17, he argued about money with his wife while she was at work. When he got home at 6pm that night, drunk, he sat next to her on her bed and tried to talk to her about their finances.
She told him she could not take it anymore and wanted a divorce.
The court heard Wille then stood up and said: “I'm going to kill you bitch.”
He forced a pillow onto Mrs Wille’s face, when she tried to push him off, he bit her hand and her arm. After about five minutes he stopped what he was doing.
He dialled 999 at 7pm. When police arrived they found Mrs Wille very distressed in her bedroom.
Wille told police he wanted to plead guilty to murder.
However once at the station, he did not answer questions in the interview but said in a prepared statement: “I did not intend on killing my wife. I'm suffering from depression. Yesterday I had been drinking heavily.”
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk