Wendy Sym: Perth nurse accused of attempting to murder her husband with lethal dose of insulin learns her fate

A former pediatric nurse found guilty of attempting to murder her husband broke down in court after learning she will spend almost a decade behind bars.

Wendy Sym, 63, was sentenced to nine years in prison in the Western Australian Supreme Court on Monday.

The grandmother was accused of trying to kill her husband of 39 years, Kenneth Sym, in January 2021 by injecting him with a lethal dose of insulin, a drug commonly used to treat diabetes.

Mr Sym, who suffered from dementia and was also being treated for type 2 diabetes, survived after receiving medical care.

The court heard his wife injected the lethal dose of the drug at Joondalup Hospital, where Mr Sym was admitted after suffering injuries in a fall.

His blood sugar levels dropped to dangerous levels and he was never prescribed insulin to treat his diabetes.

Two months later he died of a stroke of a different cause.

Sym collapsed to the courtroom floor after Judge Amanda Forrester read the sentence, the report said. WA Today.

Wendy Sym, 63 (pictured) collapsed in court after being sentenced to nine years in prison for trying to kill her husband

Wendy Sym (pictured right) took on the responsibility of caring for her husband of 39 years, Kenneth (left), after he was diagnosed with dementia in 2014

Family and friends who entered the courtroom were speechless with amazement as the verdict was announced.

Sym continues to deny trying to kill her husband after a jury found her guilty at a trial in April.

The court heard that a nurse at the hospital discovered the bottle of insulin had been thrown into a bin in a nearby bathroom.

Traces of Sym’s DNA were found on the bottle, which was dated April 9, 2018.

Sym denied that her husband needed insulin and said she had never been to the toilet during a police interrogation on January 20, 2021.

She also indicated at the time that she did not find it difficult to care for her husband, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2014.

But her lawyer Seamus Rafferty told the court on Monday that the constant care of her husband was taking a toll on his client, leading to “carer burnout”.

“She was suffering from caregiver fatigue, a recognized mental health condition that affects your ability to make calm and rational decisions,” Mr Rafferty said.

“It shows that there is a causal link between her mental state at that time and her actions.”

Sym previously denied asking hospital staff to leave her husband alone while she was not with him.

She appeared to have asked staff to keep her husband’s checks to a minimum.

Kenneth Sym (pictured) died of a different cause two months after his wife administered a dose of insulin to him.

The grandmother (pictured) will spend at least seven years behind bars

Judge Forrester said she could not accept that Sym had administered the insulin dose to her husband in an attempt to get him medical help.

She admitted that Sym was in a state of emotional turmoil as she cared for her husband 24 hours a day.

“You were exhausted by your caring responsibilities and you became desperate at the prospect of them continuing unabated into the future,” Judge Forrester said.

‘In that condition you decided to end his life.’

Sym will be eligible for parole after seven years.