Geneva Criminal Court sentences man to 19 years in prison for partner's murder
A man in his forties killed his partner through sexual violence. The Geneva Criminal Court found him guilty of murder with conditional intent.
Femicide in Geneva: 19-year prison sentence for fatal sexual violence
The Geneva Criminal Court sentenced a man in his forties to 19 years in prison on Friday for murder with conditional intent and sexual coercion with cruelty. In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a 15-year entry ban from the country. According to 20 Minuten, this is a femicide of particular brutality.
The accused, a man from Sierra Leone, inflicted severe internal injuries on his Cameroonian partner through sexual violence using his arm and/or a bottle. The resulting massive internal bleeding was fatal.
The term conditional intent means that the perpetrator recognised the possible fatal outcome of his actions and accepted it willingly, without necessarily intending it. The court established that the accused had not intended to kill the woman – his actions were motivated by the satisfaction of sexual needs.
The presiding judge stated: "In view of her screams, her unbearable pain and the blood loss, [A.] should have recognised the fatal risk to which he subjected her. Nevertheless, he forced his will through and satisfied his urges."
The court clearly rejected the theory of third-party involvement put forward by the defence. Faecal and blood traces on his arm and on the bottle weighed heavily against the accused – despite his denials. "There is no evidence for this theory," the court found.
According to the court, the relationship between the accused and his victim was characterised by violence, alcohol abuse and toxic dynamics. The man had repeatedly beaten his partner. He reportedly told an acquaintance: "A man must subdue a woman." This understanding of power permeated the relationship until the woman's death.
Source: 20 Minuten