Man sentenced for the manslaughter of his wife in Cheltenham last year (2024)

A man has been sentenced for the manslaughter of his wife in Cheltenham last year (2024).

Charles Graham, aged 78 and of Fairfield Road in Cheltenham, appeared at Bristol Crown Court today (Thursday 6 March) where he was sentenced to three years in prison for the manslaughter of 67-year-old Davinia Graham.

Emergency services had been called to a property on Fairfield Road in Cheltenham at around 3.30am on Saturday 31 August 2024 with a report that a woman had been seriously injured.

Davinia, known to friends as Dee, was declared dead at the scene.

The court heard how Charles Graham had phoned police saying that he had killed his wife. He went on to say that Davinia had threatened to stab him and that he had "lost it" and strangled her to death.

Graham was arrested at the scene and charged following an investigation by the Major Crime Investigation Team. He appeared at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday 13 February where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of loss of control.

In mitigation it was explained how Mr Graham had been the victim of domestic abuse from his wife and has no previous convictions. 

At the conclusion of sentencing Detective Inspector Adam Stacey from the Major Crime Investigation Team said: "My thoughts remain with everyone who has been affected following this sad and upsetting incident."

In a victim impact statement the pair's daughter Paula described the impact the incident has had on their family saying: "On that day I lost both my parents and this is something that is very hard to deal with."

Support is available for anyone who has an abusive partner, former partner or relative, you can contact the Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service by calling 01452 726 570 or emailing [email protected]. More information is available on their website at https://www.gdass.org.uk/

Charles Graham

 

Davinia Graham