An 83-year-old man who strangled his ill wife, saying he wanted to make an end to her suffering, has been jailed for 18 months for manslaughter.

The public prosecution department said there was no evidence the woman wanted to die and had demanded a five-year jail term.

The court agreed there were no signs the women wanted to end her life because she was suffering unbearably.

The victim, who lived in the small town of Doorn near Utrecht, suffered from Parkinson and had the beginnings of Alzheimer. The couple had refused residential care and the man was both exhausted and desperate when he acted, the court said in its ruling.

Belt

According to the court statement, the man had first strangled his wife with his hands and then a belt.

He then phoned the police to tell them he had done something terrible to his wife and was the arrested. She was taken to hospital but died several days later.

Taking into consideration time spent in custody before the trial, the man faces 10.5 months in jail, ANP said. However, he can still appeal and will not have to serve time in jail until that process has been completed.