Turku court jails woman for manslaughter in excessive self-defence

A court in Southwest Finland has sentenced a woman to five years in prison for manslaughter committed in excessive self-defence, Yle reported.

The killing took place last April in an apartment at an Esperi Care mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation unit on Ruissalontie in Turku. The Southwest Finland District Court found that the woman stabbed a man at least 18 times across his body with two knives.

The woman denied committing manslaughter but admitted stabbing the man and said she had used excessive force in self-defence. Prosecutors had sought a nine-year prison sentence.

The court found that the couple had argued and that the man had suddenly attacked the woman. She told investigators that drugs had been used in the apartment. The defence said the man had struck her with a chair and a stool before the stabbing, which was intended to stop the violence.

The court said there was nothing in the investigation to show that the woman’s account of events was unreliable. It concluded, however, that the man’s attack could have been stopped with less force. The sentence was reduced because the killing was classified as manslaughter committed in excessive self-defence.

The court also considered whether to order a mental state examination. The woman opposed one, and the court found her criminally responsible without ordering the examination. The verdict is not final.