An 89-year-old woman has been sentenced to four years in jail for killing her 88-year-old husband at their home in the east of Amsterdam two years ago.

The woman, named as Antonia M, was found guilty of killing her husband by stabbing him in the chest after 63 years of marriage.

She claimed in court he died as the result of a fall and could not explain his injuries. However, the man had a knife wound and police found a knife with blood from the victim in the kitchen.

Evert Bieshaar was in poor health, incontinent and rarely left the house, and the couple had few visitors, the court was told. M, questioned in court, said that she was almost entirely responsible for her husband’s care.

The public prosecution service said in court that despite her age, she should be jailed for four years for the murder. ‘I will never go to jail,’ M said after hearing the sentencing demand. ‘At my age, I won’t get out alive.’