A court in Germany has sentenced a 29-year-old German-Algerian man to 12 years in prison after he subjected his former partner to a prolonged and brutal assault that left her close to death.
Judges at the Heilbronn Regional Court convicted the man of hostage-taking and aggravated assault following an attack that began after the victim ended their relationship and sought refuge in a women’s shelter.
As reported by Focus, prosecutors had argued the violence amounted to attempted murder, but the court ruled it could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he intended to kill her.
She was forced to wear a burka, give up her job and her family and friends, and was regularly beaten if his dinner wasn’t on the table on time.
In May last year, she was hospitalized after a particularly bad beating, which gave her the courage to finally leave the abusive home. However, she was tracked down and made to endure a horrendous 30-hour-long attack.
On June 15, the man visited the women’s shelter she was staying at and beat her with his fists, before choking her and stubbing out a cigarette on her body. She was then forced to strip down to her underwear and paraded through the streets of Künzelsau, utterly humiliated.
According to regional outlet Heilbronner Stimme, the victim suffered a brain hemorrhage and permanent damage to her eyesight as a result of the attack.
Despite the severity of the offenses, the court rejected the prosecution’s argument that he intended to kill the victim, and this was reflected in his prison sentence of 12 years.
The attacker blamed his actions on an addiction to drugs and alcohol. The court ordered that he could be placed in a rehabilitation clinic for treatment after serving six years in prison.
The victim continues to suffer from panic attacks, insomnia, and chronic pain. She is now reportedly living under protection and rarely leaves home due to ongoing trauma.
