Alderney man attempted to murder his wife in her sleep

Monday 12 July 2021

A 57-year-old man has been sent to prison for 12 years after attempting to stab his wife to death in her sleep.

Robin Dupont originally pleaded not guilty to attempted murder on the grounds of insanity.

Dupont, who was diagnosed with recurrent depressive disorder, said that voices were telling him to kill himself and his wife on 18 February. In the early hours of the next day, Dupont attacked his wife with two kitchen knives while she slept.

Dupont’s wife woke up during the act and tried to defend herself. His wife called the police at 00:30 saying that her husband had “gone mad and tried to stab me to death.” She then fled to a neighbour’s house and collapsed on their sofa.

Police Officers arrived and found the victim covered in blood. One serrated blade was found outside Dupont’s front door; a second knife was found in Dupont’s house on a blood-stained bed.

By this point Dupont had left the scene with the intention of killing himself. The Court heard that he changed his mind and turned himself in at the Mignot Memorial Hospital.

Pictured: Dupont had a 40% reduction in his prison sentence due to the mitigation put forward on his behalf. 

At the hospital, his wife was being treated for stab wounds to her chest, shoulders and neck. She survived her injuries.

Dupont was transferred to Guernsey authorities the following day and charged with attempted murder on 20 February 2020. He was found fit to be detained and has been held on remand since.

On 28 May 2020, Dupont entered a not guilty plea citing insanity as a defence. This was supported by an expert forensic psychiatrist’s report. The Crown Prosecution drafted its own report and came to the opposite conclusion. Both parties then agreed to bring in a third forensic psychiatrist as an independent.

This report concurred with the Prosecution and found Dupont to have been aware of his actions. Dupont ultimately changed his plea to guilty on 29 April 2021.

Defence Advocate Clare Tee argued that exceptional leniency should be granted to a “set of truly exceptional circumstances.”

Pictured: Dupont was sentenced in the Royal Court.

The maximum sentence the Royal Court can levy for attempted murder is life in prison.  She said the attack had been spontaneous, unplanned, unsophisticated, and half-hearted.

Advocate Tee concluded mitigation by suggesting the attack had been completely out of character and fuelled by severe mental health problems.

Judge Russell Finch and the Jurats took an hour to come to their decision.

“This is the most serious and worrying offence,” said Judge Finch while delivering the sentence of the Court. 

“Exceptional leniency is not called for as the intention to kill your wife was clear – we have seen the photographs [of the injuries] and they speak for themselves.”

Dupont was sentenced to 12 years in Les Nicolles Prison followed by a five-year supervision order upon release.