Susan Mouat to appeal home detention sentence after admitting husband's manslaughter

Susan Mouat this month plead guilty to manslaughter, six years after the death of her husband Bruce Mouat. The Coroner initially ruled he had fallen down the stairs while drunk, causing a head injury.

Susan Mouat is appealing her 11-month home detention sentence.

The Taranaki woman was last month sentenced for the manslaughter of her husband Bruce Mouat, six years after his death.

Mouat died after falling down the steps of his Hawera home in July 2011. He hit his head and later died in hospital.

Susan Mouat initially claimed he had come home drunk and fallen of his own accord after the pair had argued.

An initial police investigation was concluded and a Coroner later deemed the fall an accident.

But this year Mouat admitted to police she had pushed her husband, and she was charged with manslaughter.

She initially plead not guilty to the charge but admitted it on what was to be the first day of her High Court trial in September.

Just weeks after being sentenced to home detention - on October 13 - the Court of Appeal confirmed on Friday an appeal of sentence had been filed.

The appeal will be heard in Wellington at the end of the month.

Bruce Mouat's family declined to comment on the development.

Susan Mouat's lawyer Russell Fairbrother QC was unable to immediately respond.