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Women, 92, oldest to stand trial for murder in Australia

A 92-year-old has become the oldest woman committed to stand trial for murder in Australia, accused of bludgeoning and stabbing her wealthy 98-year-old husband to death, a report said today.

Updated on: Apr 3, 2011, 09:06:19 IST
AFP | By , Sydney
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A 92-year-old has become the oldest woman committed to stand trial for murder in Australia, accused of bludgeoning and stabbing her wealthy 98-year-old husband to death, a report said on Sunday.

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Clara Tang, who allegedly killed Ching Yung Tang after 70 years of marriage in their Sydney apartment in March last year, has pleaded not guilty on the grounds of mental illness, the Sun-Herald said.

The elderly woman appeared in a local court last week and was ordered to stand trial in the Supreme Court on a date to be fixed.

Documents tendered by police reportedly detailed how the couple survived the Japanese invasion of China and the Mao's Cultural Revolution before moving from Shanghai to Sydney 30 years ago.

Tang, who suffers dementia, allegedly feared her husband was poisoning her food.

The newspaper said that when arrested, Tang was almost totally soaked in blood. Her husband had been stabbed twice in the stomach and his head was bludgeoned.

She was initially refused bail due to "the level of violence used and for the protection of the community", but police relented with Tang put under strict supervision in a nursing home ahead of her trial.

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