A British man who strangled his wife in his sleep because he dreamt she was an intruder has been freed after prosecutors withdrew the case against him.
Brian Thomas, who suffers from a sleep disorder, admitted killing his 57-year-old wife Christine Thomas while they spent a night in a camper van in west Wales last year.
The 59-year-old had faced being sent to a psychiatric hospital as prosecutors sought a special verdict of not guilty due to insanity, AFP reports.
But prosecutors in Swansea Crown Court say they are no longer seeking that verdict, allowing him to walk free, after their expert witness told the court there was no useful purpose in sending Mr Thomas to a secure unit.
Releasing him from custody, the judge told Mr Thomas he bore no responsibility for what he had done, describing him as a decent man and devoted husband.
The BBC reports Mr Thomas suffered from night terrors and had stopped taking his medication while on holiday with his wife of 40 years.
Experts gave evidence that Mr Thomas' behaviour was consistent with the sleep disorder automatism, a condition in which the mind has no control over what the body is doing.
