Erfurt, Germany, Nov 27, (dpa/GNA) – A man who doused his wife in petrol and then set her alight, aboard a tram in the central German city of Gera, was handed a life sentence for attempted murder on Thursday.
The Gera district court found the Georgian national guilty of attempted murder and aggravated arson over the incident in March. He must also pay compensation amounting to €75,000 ($87,000).
The court judgement and sentence can still be appealed.
Presiding judge Uwe Tonndorf said, the 47-year-old sought to kill his wife because she wanted to terminate their marriage, and because he did not want her to lead an independent life.
The victim incurred life-threatening injuries in what Tonndorf described as “like a public execution.”
The man felt wounded in his pride and honour, the judge found, describing him as not a monster, but as someone who had burdened himself with heavy guilt.
“You have destroyed your family and your own life at the same time,” Tonndorf said.
The crime showed a desire to destroy and punish, the judge said. The victim suffered unimaginable pain, is suffering psychologically and will be marked for her entire life, Tonndorf added.
The attempted femicide had caused outraged well beyond Gera, the judge said. He noted that the convicted man took his wife into his home at the age of 15. She then led a life subordinate to her husband for 30 years.
Tonndorf detailed how the convicted man immigrated to Germany in 2018, with his wife and children following later.
His drinking problem was exacerbated by unemployment. In January this year, the man suspected his wife of having an affair with a colleague, beat her and raped her.
His wife then left to live with her daughter and decided to terminate the marriage. The man then threatened to kill her, and on March 16 caught the tram that his wife always took to work.
He poured petrol onto her face and set it alight. The victim burned like a fireball, the judge said. The man was aware that other passengers could be injured.
The man fled and attempted to take his own life before giving himself up to police.
GNA