Man admits beating wife to death with rolling pin

Husband, 74, admits manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility

Zhizhang Shan admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility at the Old Bailey (PA)

A man has admitted stabbing his wife and beating her to death with a rolling pin.

Zhizhang Shan, 74, of Woolwich, southeast London, appeared at the Old Bailey charged with the murder of Shuren Ma, 73, on 1 July last year.

During the hearing, he denied the charge but admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility.

During the attack, Shan hit his wife “repeatedly over the head” with the rolling pin, then stabbed her “repeatedly in the chest and abdomen”, the court heard.

Prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC indicated the plea was accepted by the Crown.

He told the court: “The incident dates back to July 2018.

“The deceased is this defendant’s wife and in short he attacked her with a rolling pin, striking her repeatedly over the head with it, then with a knife, stabbing her repeatedly in the chest and abdomen.

“He then made concerted efforts to kill himself by stabbing himself in the abdomen.”

The court heard an expert had found the defendant was suffering from a serious depressive illness with paranoid features at the time of the killing.

Judge Richard Marks QC adjourned sentencing until 6 December.

Additional reporting by Press Association