26 Years for Newport Man Who Murdered Wife Then Blew Own Face Off

A man who murdered his wife then shot himself in the face in a failed suicide bid has been jailed for 26 years.

Christopher Parry, 50, shot mother-of-two Caroline Parry, 49, at close range near her house in Newport, Wales, in August 2013, after she left him for another man.

He then turned the gun on himself, shooting himself in the mouth.

In court, he was described as a "wreck of a man", who can no longer talk or eat properly as a result of the injuries sustained.

Parry, from Cwmbran, described as a "controlling and dominant" individual, was visibly shaking in the dock when told he must serve a minimum of 26 years.

Parry had pleaded manslaughter, claiming that he did not intend to kill his wife.

The court had heard though the shooting was a carefully planned scheme by a man "not prepared to let go" after his wife had left him.

Sentencing Parry, judge Mr Justice Wyn Williams said: "I'm satisfied that when you left the home you had a settled intention to kill your wife.

"You had loaded the gun with three cartridges and your actions were consistent with someone planning to kill.

"The killing took place in a quiet residential area [and] put great alarm and distress to people nearby.
It was a terrible thing to do, to shoot your wife in that public place."

As Parry was led away, his mother ran to the dock and he said: "I didn't mean to do it."

Caroline Parry was shot in Newport as she left the house she was sharing with her new partner.

When he saw her, Parry, who had been lying in wait, took a semi-automatic shotgun from the boot of his car.

In his failed suicide attempt Parry lost muscle, bone and tissue from the left side of his face.

Parry, who had two children with his wife, had a history of mental illness and depression dating over 10 years.