Judge Frees Man Who Slashed Wife 120 Times

An accountant in Britain is free only a year after he fatally slashed his wife more than 120 times with a kitchen knife, the Daily Mail reports. A judge said that Karrukh Malik, a Pakistani-born resident of Berkshire, would have to continue medical treatments for two years: "If there is any indication that you are [unwell], the appropriate action can be taken. ... The family will play an important part in keeping an eye on you on a day-to-day basis." Malik, 66, was found innocent by reason of insanity, and cleared by two of three experts to return to civilian life.

The Mail recounts the horrifying day when Malik, suffering from health problems after his mother's death, rummaged through a kitchen drawer for a knife—then interrupted his wife's call to emergency services. "I'm fine," he told the operator. "My wife is fed up with me, she's trying to get rid of me." After the killing, he wore a vacant expression and told police he loved his wife, "and that she was caring and gentle," a prosecutor said in court. "He repeatedly said he did not know what had happened or why it happened." (More insanity defense stories.)