A 77-year-old former traffic policeman who for ten years had cared for his Alzheimer’s-stricken wife, walked into the hospital where she was being treated and shot her three times.

Vitangelo Bini then sat down at the foot of her bed to call police. When they arrived he told them: “I couldn’t stand to see her suffer any more.”

Mr Bini, from Prato, in Tuscany, was in custody last night after being charged with aggravated homicide with premeditation. His wife, Mara Tani, 82, had suffered from an advanced state of Alzheimer’s for about ten years and was admitted to the Misericordia e Dolce hospital in Prato last week when she lost consciousness. Doctors told Mr Bini that she was in the terminal stages of the progressively debilitating disease.

Mr Bini, who had been her full-time carer, had visited her several times a day, hospital staff told police. On Saturday, however, witnesses said that he entered the room that she shared with five other women, caressed her and then put a towel over her face before shooting her in the head. A few seconds later he fired another shot to the head and one to the heart, Fabio Di Chierri, the vice-director of Prato police station, said.

Mr Di Chierri said that in the ensuing chaos Mr Bini sat down and tried to call police on his mobile phone. He could not get through, perhaps because so many others in the vicinity were doing the same.

Police officers happened to be on the same floor and arrived immediately. Mr Bini did not put up any resistance and tried to explain his actions, although he appeared and sounded dazed and confused, the officers said. The couple’s children, a son and a daughter aged 43 and 44, were stunned by the news, Mr Di Chierri said. They did not see their father when they went to the police station to be told the news.

Mr Bini was being held in jail, Mr Di Chierri said, “more for his own safety than for repressive reasons”. There was a danger that he could attempt to take his life and in prison he was being watched and had access to psychological support. Because of his age and the nature of the case he would probably be placed under house arrest while awaiting trial. It was unlikely that he would serve a prison sentence if found guilty, Mr Di Chierri said. “It is a very serious crime and it must be tried. But the dramatic circumstances of how he and his wife lived will be considered very seriously in the courtroom.”

The Vatican strenuously opposes euthanasia in any form, having in the past refused Catholic burials for those who help loved ones to die, but many Italians tend to treat such cases with a degree of understanding.

Mr Bini had cared for his wife on his own for several years. Police said that she had long ago ceased to recognise her husband or loved ones.

As years go by

- It is not known exactly what causes Alzheimer’s disease but scientists believe that whiplash, severe head injuries, genetic inheritance and high blood pressure could increase the risk

- Some studies suggest that remaining mentally active throughout your life reduces the chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease, although the evidence for this is inconclusive

- The risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease increases with age and the condition predominantly attacks those over the age of 65

Source: NHS

Times Recommends

• Thousands of Tamils dying in 'welfare camp'
• Jackson 'rebuilt his nose before he died'
• Renewed Iran protests crushed by militia