Chester woman, 59, is jailed for life for murdering her husband by pouring ...

A wife has been jailed for life for pouring a mix of boiling water and sugar over her husband as he slept after she heard allegations he had sexually abused her children. 

Corinna Smith, 59, attacked her 80-year-old husband Michael Baines while he slept at their home in Wirral, Cheshire, on July 14 last year.

She left her husband of 38 years with 36 per cent burns to his body after she combined boiling water with three bags of sugar and poured it over him. 

Mr Baines suffered from extensive burns and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he died five weeks later in hospital on August 18.

Smith, also known as Corinna Baines, was jailed for life with a minimum of 12 years today after being found guilty of murder following a trial at Chester Crown Court. 

The day before the attack took place, Smith was described as angry and very upset at a rumour circulating about her husband that she believed to be true.

The court heard on Friday that Smith had been told by her daughter about 'devastating' allegations that her husband had sexually abused her son and daughter 'for many years', according to the Liverpool Echo.

Her son Craig reportedly took his own life in 2007 after being troubled before his death and going to prison for an assault. He had told his mother the man he attacked was a 'paedophile' who abused him 'sexually'.

On the day of the incident, Smith, who was also her husband's carer, returned home and filled a bucket from her garden with boiling water and mixed it with nearly 7lbs of sugar. 

As Mr Baines lay asleep in bed, she poured the contents over his arms and torso and then left the property.

She went to a nearby house and banged on the front door until the occupant answered. He called the police and an ambulance after hearing her say: 'I've hurt him really bad, I think I've killed him.'

A short time later officers arrived at the address. They found

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