Overview
- The sentencing on Friday resulted in Daryl Berman, 72, receiving a life term with a minimum of 12 years reduced for time already spent in custody after a retrial at Minshull Street Crown Court.
- Prosecutors relied on Home Office pathologist Dr Philip Lumb’s opinion that the chest wound had the typical features of a homicide which made the defence claim of an accidental fall implausible.
- Mr Berman was found badly injured at the couple’s Prestwich home after a 999 call on March 13, 2025, and he later died from a stab wound to the chest with a separate defensive injury to his finger.
- Greater Manchester Police released body-worn camera footage showing the defendant speaking to officers at the scene and a senior detective described the killing as a betrayal of trust.
- Victim impact statements from the couple’s children described deep, ongoing grief and said the family feel robbed of closure, and the judge said the defendant had never given a truthful account of what happened.