The Clitheroe


vertiser an imes Thursdiiy» February 3rd, 2005 No. .6,186 nows and vlews.from the Centw of the Kingdom. PAGE 2 Newlywed jailed for killing by Court Reporter______


A BRIDE who stabbed her hus­ band to death a week after their honeymoon cruise has been jailed


for five years. Mother-of-two Catherine Osliffe


(34), of Green Park, Whalley, had wept as she told a jury how much she missed her husband of five weeks, Roger. She was cleared of murdering the 35-


year-old fencing contractor, who was stabbed with a heavy duty kitchen knife, but the jury a t Preston Crown Court convicted her of manslaughter. Judge Peter Openshaw QC said she deliberately armed herself and stabbed


him, causing terrible injury. "No sentence I pass can restore a life


tragically taken,” said the judge. “No sentence can reconcile the fami­ ly and friends of Roger Osliffe for their


loss and grief." Catherine Osliffe, a psychology grad­


uate and prison educational worker, claimed her husband had threatened to kill her and he could have been acciden­ tally wounded during a bedroom strug­


gle.


He later bled to death from the 14- centimetre deep chest injury, which


punctured his lung. But while being treated, he told a paramedic and hospital staff that his


wife had stabbed him. Osliffe denied murdering her hus­


band in June last year at their semi­ detached home in Whalley. It happened just one week after the couple returned from a honeymoon in


the Adriatic. Following a trip to a nightclub, they


were heard arguing a t home, with the 'P


Roger was stabbed. Osliffe wept as she told the court: "I just miss him so


much". Paul Reid QC (defending) had told


the court: "She was provoked and acted in a way that was out of character." It was not premeditated, but sponta­


neous, he said. But the prosecution claimed she did


it because she was enraged after the


flowers incident. In a statement issues after the ver­


y


CATHERINE OSLIFFE - five years for manslaughter


defendant shouting: "We have only been together a week and I hate you


already". They had been rowing over some


flowers sent by her mother. She claimed he believed the bouquet was from another man and he threw the water- filled vase and flowers over her when she was asleep in bed. The jury a t Preston Crown Court


heard that in a 999 call, Osliffe claimed her husband had stabbed himself. In her evidence, she claimed he was


also convinced that when she went out earlier she planned to meet another


man. She said he appeared in the bedroom


with the knife, threatening to kill her, saying “It's me or you”. She told the jury that a struggle


took place, with “pushing and shov­ ing", but she had no memory of how


dict, the dead man's family said: " Since that dreadful day when Roger died in such tragic circumstances, his family and many friends have experienced untold sadness. "No words can adequately explain


the feelings of loss and desperation. Roger's life came to an abrupt end when he had such high hopes for the


future. “He was newly-married, had a flour­


ishing business and had everything to


live for. "Roger was held in the highest


esteem by his family, his many friends and by everyone who knew him. In the future he will never be forgotten, but we hope that in time we will find some measure of peace. "There are certainly no winners in all of this, bu t there are some terrible


losers." "During the period since Roger's


death, we have been extremely grateful to the police at all levels who have been involved in the case and supported us throughout. We are satisfied that it has


been a fair trial." The jury members had taken five


hours to reach their unanimous verdict. • For more from Catherine Osliffe’s


defence case, see page 2. 'A ' , W ‘ m ____


FLORAL tributes quickly appeared outside the Whalley home of Mr Osliffe follow­ ing his death at the hands of his new bride


No words can adequately explain the feel­ ings of loss and desperation. Roger's life


I came to an abrupt end when he had such high hopes for the future. He had every­ thing to live for


I - the family’s tribute


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