The Debrecen Court of Appeal has upheld the verdict of the Debrecen Regional Court, which in December 2025 sentenced the defendant to eight years in prison and eight years of disqualification from public affairs for the attempted murder of his wife.
The prosecution appealed for a harsher prison sentence, while the defendant sought a reduced sentence. The defense attorney primarily requested an acquittal and, alternatively, a lighter punishment.
According to the facts established by the first-instance court, the defendant learned in December 2024 that his wife had begun a romantic relationship with another man.
Afterward, he frequently argued with both his wife and their minor child. In January 2025, the conflicts escalated when the defendant threw the victim’s clothes into a trash bin and threatened to beat her to death with a broom, prompting her to seek police assistance.
In February 2025, he told the victim that the family home belonged to him and that neither she nor the other family members should expect any support from him. Following this, the woman packed her belongings and moved in with her mother.
Later that month, the victim encountered the defendant on the street. He asked her to visit him after 5 p.m. because he wanted to talk. When she arrived at his house, he seated her in an armchair and then, standing behind her, began strangling her with a knitted scarf. He dragged her into another room, struck her several times, and repeatedly stated that he was going to kill her.
However, due to his weakened physical condition caused by heart disease, he became exhausted and stopped the strangulation. After the victim pleaded with him and promised that she and the children would move back in with him, he released her.
The Debrecen Court of Appeal upheld the first-instance court’s findings regarding the defendant’s guilt and the sentence imposed.
