An elderly former actor who escaped a jail term today for killing his sick wife always acknowledged "he should be punished for what he did".

Stuart Mungall, of Hendham Road, Tooting, admitted smothering 69-year-old Joan Mungall with a pillow at their home on December 3 last year.

Today at the Old Bailey, Recorder of London, Judge Peter Beaumont QC, gave Mungall a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

He ordered Mungall be supervised by the Probation Service for the duration of that period and requested he be sent quarterly reports by the supervising officer.

During this morning's sentencing hearing, Mr Mungall's defence counsel, Miranda Moore, told Judge Beaumont Mungall had always acknowledged "he should be punished for what he did".

She said the Mungalls, who once ran Patio garden centres in Battersea and Tooting, were "totally devoted to each other - they were each other's lives".

The 71-year-old, who starred in Yorkie bar adverts in the 1970s, entered a guilty plea to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility on July 28.

Mrs Mungall, herself a successful actress who had worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company, had been diagnosed with Pick's disease, a neuro-degenerative condition with similar symptoms to Alzheimer's, in 2009 - and was said by a psychiatrist friend of the Mungall's to have had "weeks to live" at the time of what has been described as a mercy killing.

Judge Beaumont said Mr Mungall was "a man who's had a praise-worthy life achieving not only distinction in your professional and business life but earning the plaudits of all who knew you, recognising the devotion you showed to your wife Joan in the care that you gave her as she suffered a degenerative and progressive brain disease for which there was no curative treatment".

He noted he had seen much evidence to show the couple had a "happy and fulfilling" 40-year marriage, and acknowledged Mr Mungall's depressive episode "contributed to your actions that bring you here".

He said: "That reduces your responsibility for your actions in killing her, it does not extinguish it. You will have to shoulder that responsibility for the rest of your life."

When passing sentence, Judge Beaumont said he took into account Mr Mungall's guilty plea, the 88 days he had spent in custody and subsequent "extremely restrictive" bail conditions Mr Mungall had been subjected to.

Outside court, Mr Mungall declined to speak to members of the press, but did issue a statement through his solicitor, Laurence Imrie, of David Rubie, Mitchell & Co.

It said: "Mr Mungall would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have provided overwhelming support during this particularly difficult time.

"He is relieved that this matter has finally been concluded and he respects the court's findings.

"Joan is at peace and without pain and therefore the family now request that their privacy be respected whilst they continue to grieve."

Mr Mungall was greeted by a small group of friends and supporters outside court.