Man tried to kill his lover with car exhaust fumes for three hours

A MAN wanted to kill his estranged lover and take his own life, so he attached a hosepipe to his car exhaust and started the engine, a court heard yesterday.

However, Denis Cannon, 52, hadn't bargained for the car having a catalytic converter, and he gave up after three hours of sitting waiting for death.

He told Diane Perry, 38, that "this German car ain't going to kill us", and drove home to bed.

Cannon, of Hillview, Brechin, Angus, admitted attempting to murder Miss Perry on 28 September last year. Sentence was deferred until July for background reports, including a psychological assessment.

His counsel, Derick Nelson, told the High Court in Edinburgh: "Clearly, the behaviour here is unusual to say the least."

The advocate-depute, Laura Thomson, said that in January last year, Miss Perry was living in a farm cottage in the Brechin area. She began a relationship with Cannon, who worked in Glasgow during the week and visited her at weekends. However, the relationship became "very strained" and, in Miss Perry's eyes, it was "close to breaking point".

On the evening of 28 September, Cannon dropped off Miss Perry at a local pub where she was to play pool. At about 10:20pm, she phoned as arranged for him to pick her up, but he appeared to have been waiting nearby as he arrived within a minute of the call. "Rather than take the normal route home, it seems that Cannon drove along some unclassified roads round the Angus countryside, somewhere between Brechin, Arbroath and Montrose. Miss Perry's evidence is that he told her they needed to talk," said Ms Thomson.

Cannon stopped the car in a lay-by at Montreathmont Forest and asked to borrow Miss Perry's mobile phone, which he then broke into pieces. He punched and kicked her, and chased and dragged her back into the vehicle when she tried to flee. He grabbed her by the throat, ripped the earrings from her ears and forced her to remain in the car and drove to another isolated spot, at Aldbar, Angus.

"The accused then kept her in his car for three hours with the engine switched on and a hosepipe through a rear window allowing fumes to enter the interior of the vehicle," said Ms Thomson.

"The intention of the accused at that point was to end both his own life and that of Miss Perry. However, due to the car having a catalytic converter, which had the effect of reducing carbon monoxide in the exhaust fumes, the attempt was unsuccessful.

"In addition, Miss Perry managed to open an air vent without the accused noticing, which had the effect of reducing the build-up of exhaust fumes within the car to an extent."

After three hours, he drove them both back to Miss Perry's home and he went to bed. However, Miss Perry, who had sustained fractured ribs and cuts and bruising, alerted the police.

Cannon had also been charged with attempting to defeat the ends of justice by fleeing to the Irish Republic. His not guilty plea was accepted by the Crown.