Chip shop death: Geoffrey Bran cleared of murdering wife with oil

A chip shop owner accused of killing his wife by throwing boiling oil over her has been cleared of her murder.

Geoffrey Bran, 71, who ran The Chipoteria in Hermon, Carmarthenshire, had told police his wife Mavis slipped and pulled a deep fat fryer over herself.

Mr Bran was also found not guilty of manslaughter.

Mrs Bran, 69, died in hospital six days after receiving burns to 46% of her body on 23 October 2018.

She had told friends in the weeks before her death that she feared her husband would kill her, a jury heard.

The trial at Swansea Crown Court was told the couple, who had been married for over 30 years, had had a volatile relationship with arguments and swearing, and that it had deteriorated over the last few months of Mrs Bran’s life.

The prosecution had argued Mr Bran had thrown the oil at his wife after an argument over some burnt fish, but he told the jury she had accidentally pulled it over herself after she slipped and fell.

The week-long trial heard Mrs Bran was a heavy drinker and was over the legal drink-drive limit for alcohol on the day of the incident.