Reference no: EM133684052

Question:

Alfie and Bella have been married for 20 years and live with their children, Christopher and Dinesh. In recent months, Alfie has been feeling unwell and experiencing terrible migraines, with each episode lasting a few days and leaving him fatigued.

At the same time, Alfie starts to suspect that Bella is cheating on him. Bella has been getting home from work late and appears unwilling to spend much time with Alfie. When Alfie asks Bella about it, she says that she is working on a very important project with her colleague, Eze, and that as the deadline approaches, she will need to work even longer hours. Alfie is not convinced by her answer. Alfie's suspicions are confirmed when one evening he sees a text message from Eze on Bella's phone saying, "When are you going to leave? You deserve so much better than him." Alfie is distraught. He spends that night thinking about what he should do. He concludes that he cannot survive without Bella in his life and that if he cannot be with her, no one else should be either. In the morning, Alfie sources a gun on the internet, goes to meet the gun dealer and returns home with the weapon. In the meantime, the stress triggers another migraine yet, although in pain, Alfie is adamant that he will confront Bella. He takes a couple of painkillers, washes them down with a glass of whisky, and waits for Bella to return home.

Bella arrives home three hours later. Alfie, who is drunk, starts shouting and accuses Bella of having an affair with Eze. Bella denies this, saying that Alfie has misunderstood the situation and that Eze's message was not about Bella and Alfie's marriage but about Bella and Eze's boss, who has been bullying Bella. Alfie does not believe this and shouts, "You have driven me to d.o this! You are cheating on me and have humiliated me! You deserve what is coming to you!". Alfie is livid, his eyes glaze over, and - he later tells the police - he could not think straight. Alfie aims the gun at Bella's heart and shoots but, as he has never fired a gun before, he misses and shoots Bella in the leg. Bella screams just as Christopher and Dinesh enter the house. They try to wrest the gun away from their father's hands, unsuccessfully. Alfie is undeterred; he aims the gun at Bella's heart again. This time, the bullet misses.

Christopher and Dinesh manage to disarm their father and lock him in the pantry. The children call for an ambulance which arrives quickly. However, Bella, who has lost a lot of blood, is dead by the time she arrives at the hospital.

Discuss.