Husband sentenced to 12.5 years for strangling wife a day after wedding in Karlovy Vary region
Plzeň regional court has sentenced a 48-year-old man to twelve and a half years in prison for the death of his newly-wed wife. The incident occurred in April of last year.
Husband sentenced to 12.5 years for strangling wife a day after wedding in Karlovy Vary region
Plzeň regional court on Monday sentenced 48-year-old Bohumil Švec to imprisonment for twelve and a half years in a high-security facility. The man was found guilty of causing the death of his wife, which occurred just one day after their marriage. The news was reported by Novinky.cz.
Senate chair Tomáš Mahr noted that the verdict has not yet become legally binding. Judges in determining the sentence drew from the prosecutor's proposal and took into account the defendant's partial admission of guilt as well as expert assessments which evaluate his chances of rehabilitation as high. In addition to imprisonment, the convicted man must pay 800,000 crowns to the deceased's family as compensation for non-material damages.
The fatal incident occurred in April of last year in a residential space in Horní Žár near Ostrov nad Ohří. According to the charges, Švec then gripped his partner by the throat and strangled her until she stopped showing signs of life. He then left the place and contacted police himself. Emergency responders who arrived were unable to provide assistance to the woman.
During the main trial, the man testified that he had known the victim for only four months before the wedding. He stated that his partner had mental health problems and her unpredictable behaviour had become unbearable for him. "I married her because I wanted to help and protect her as a man. She would have fits where she would dance on the pavement and touch passers-by. Once she even reached for a knife after me," Švec described.
Despite this, he said he had feelings for the woman. "I hoped things would improve. I was unable to leave. I was so exhausted that I began thinking about suicide so that at least she would have a widow's pension," the man said in court, who had been married three times previously.
Regarding the day of the tragedy, he stated that he had originally intended to die himself. "I wrote a farewell letter and mixed medicine with alcohol. In the evening my wife made a scene out of jealousy. She was accusing me of having married her only in name. She screamed that I had a relationship with the person who married us," Švec described the events immediately before the violent confrontation.
He then allegedly tried to cover his partner's mouth. "She was flailing her arms. I don't know why I grabbed her by the throat. It was just a moment, I thought she had lost consciousness. I tried to bring her round. Then I drove to a petrol station for more alcohol to end my life. On the way I called the police," the defendant concluded his testimony.
Source: Novinky.cz