A court sentenced a man to 25 years in prison for nearly decapitating his friend

A man was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison after stabbing his girlfriend in the back during an argument over financial contributions to their household. The incident occurred last October in a central Prague apartment. The accused, an invalid pensioner named Kovanda, had been under pressure to support both his girlfriend and another woman he was involved with financially. When she reminded him of his responsibilities, he went into the kitchen, retrieved a knife measuring 21 centimeters in length, and stabbed her in the back while she lay on the bed.

The victim managed to roll away from the attacker, but he swung the knife again, causing it to pierce the mattress seven centimeters deep. During this struggle, the woman successfully wrestled the knife from his hand, which fell beneath the bed. Despite this, Kovanda continued to threaten her, taking her mobile phones to prevent her from calling for help. He then proceeded to choke her with a belt from a robe until she convinced him to call for emergency services. Her life was saved due to her active defense and negotiation efforts. Police located Kovanda several hours later in Karlín and arrested him.

During the trial, Kovanda expressed remorse for his actions, stating that he felt genuinely sorry for what he had done to the victim. Because he admitted guilt and agreed to the legal classification of the crime, the court conducted only a brief evidentiary phase using documentary evidence. The presiding judge stated that there was no reason to reject his plea of guilty.

Another case saw a man from Frýdlant sentenced to 11 years in prison for beating his girlfriend to death. The victim, a 25-year-old woman, suffered severe brain injuries after being attacked over multiple days. She was eventually left alone on a field near the village, where she died from the resulting injuries. The court considered mitigating factors such as the defendant's admission of guilt and expressions of regret, leading to the 11-year sentence. However, the verdict is not yet final, and both parties have retained the right to appeal.

In a separate incident, a senior citizen shot his acquaintance dead in Přelouč. The victim had been helping him with cleaning and cooking, but the accused believed she was stealing money from him. After an argument, he retrieved a legally owned revolver from his bedroom and shot her in the head while she was cooking. The murder was committed without warning, and the victim was killed instantly. The accused fled the scene but later confessed to police. At the appellate court, he claimed to suffer from hallucinations and memory issues, but the court did not accept these claims as valid defenses.

A fourth case involved a man who nearly decapitated his acquaintance in a Prague apartment. The victim, a sixty-year-old man, was brutally attacked with a metal boxing glove and a kitchen knife. The attacker, who had previously been in juvenile detention for theft and disrespect towards authority, admitted to the killing but justified it by claiming the victim had sexually harassed him. The court found the attack extremely brutal and assigned a special sentence of 25 years in prison. The judge rejected the defendant’s claim of acting in self-defense and noted his lack of moral principles and feelings of guilt. The verdict is still subject to potential appeal.