London, July 16: The wife and a caretaker of a disabled man from the United Kingdom have been sentenced to 11 years in prison. The verdict was reached after a trial at Portsmouth Court, where Sarah Somerset-How and George Webb were found guilty of enslaving and subjecting her husband, Tom Somerset-How, to bad living conditions. The charges against them included holding Tom Somerset-How in slavery and three counts of mistreatment by a care worker. These incidents occurred over a period of four years, from 2016 to 2020. UK: Gang of Five Guilty of ‘Honeytrap’ Murder of Indian-Origin Man in Bushey.

According to the Independent, the caretaker, who was involved in a romantic relationship with the woman, was also found guilty of "causing actual bodily harm" to the man. The victim, a 40-year-old man down with cerebral palsy and reliant on an electric wheelchair, endured severe neglect and abuse for four years. He was confined to his bed and suffered from malnourishment under the care of the couple. The court determined that the mistreatment and abuse inflicted upon him were substantial, resulting in the conviction of both accused. UK Shocker: Man Kept Pensioner’s Body in Freezer For Two Years And ‘Used His Bank Account To Go Shopping and Withdraw Cash’.

The report added that the victim recalled in court how horrified he was to learn that his wife and Webb "despised" him and had a "five-year plan" to continue taking advantage of him. According to Somerset-How's testimony, he expressed his concerns about the possibility of reconnecting with his family, especially his mother, whom he had become estranged from while under the close surveillance of his wife and Webb. Their monitoring was aimed at preventing him from disclosing the abuse they were subjecting him to.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 16, 2023 05:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).