A JURY has decided that a frail pensioner killed his wife, stabbing her repeatedly as the last act of a failing marriage.

Arthur Heywood, aged 89, has dementia and was ruled to be unfit to plead and stand trial for killing his 80-year-old wife Barbara at their home in Ramsay Avenue, Farnworth, on March 27.

Instead, a jury at Manchester Crown Court was asked to decide, as a finding of fact" whether Heywood killed her. The jury began hearing evidence last week and today unanimously found the case against Heywood proved.

Judge Alan Conrad QC will now consider how best to deal with Heywood, who has been living at Kemple View hospital, Langho, which caters for men with mental illness or personality disorder, since his arrest.

READ MORE: The last act of a failing marriage

During the trial the court heard how wheelchair-bound Mrs Heywood and her husband had fallen out after she sent his beloved dog to live elsewhere while he was in hospital and she was convinced he was hiding money from her.

"It is fair to say that by the beginning of this year there were significant tensions between Barbara Heywood and Arthur Heywood," said Rob Hall," prosecuting.

"Some of those tensions had existed for many years and the cracks in their marriage were really starting to show."

He stabbed her to death the day after their 59th wedding anniversary.