A violently jealous man who installed secret cameras to spy on his wife who he was convinced was having an affair has been sentenced to 25 years for her brutal killing.
Rafal Winiarski, 42, used an axe and knife to kill Malgorzata Lechanska during a horrific attack in the kitchen of the couple’s home in Shipdham.
Norwich Crown Court was told she had suffered 17 wounds including fractures to the skull consistent with axe chopping and multiple defensive wounds where she had attempted to fend off her husband.
The killing in August 2021 happened minutes after she had returned from a shopping trip and as the couple’s seven-year-old daughter was playing in the garden.
In shocking scenes in court Winiarski had to be restrained as he attempted to cut his own wrists after being sentenced to 21 years in prison, as well as four years on extended licence, for her manslaughter.
Judge Anthony Bate said it had been a “wicked and brutal assault” in which he had “ferociously attacked her with two weapons”.
“It is clear that you intended to kill her. This was not a spontaneous attack,” he added.
Winiarski, who was initially charged with murder, had pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility.
Assessments by medical experts found at the time of the killing he was suffering from paranoid psychosis with delusions of jealousy and that his “rational judgement had been significantly impaired”.
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The couple met in Poland when they were aged 19 and moved to the UK with their two young daughters in 2014.
Riel Karmy-Jones, prosecuting, said his actions had been driven by the obsession that his wife was having affairs and that he was a “suspicious and controlling man”
Police discovered he had installed covert cameras inside the family home and had nailed the windows closed.
The couple’s older daughter, who was at work at the time of her mother’s death, had described previous violent incidents including him making threats with a knife.
His history of mental health issues had been exacerbated by drink and drug misuse and he had become “increasingly unstable” after not taking medication, said Ms Karmy-Jones.
In a statement she read out in court his older daughter said she felt he had been repeatedly “failed by the system”.
“My father had been mentally unstable for years and my mother and I had tried to help all we could,” she said.
“We all loved him and wanted the best for him, but due to his reluctance to see a doctor no doctor or police officer would help us.”
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Police had been called to the home at Lake Close, Shipdham after a neighbour called 999 to reports of a man shouting and a female screaming and a young girl outside the property looking distressed.
Inside they found Winiarski sitting on the sofa staring at the TV having changed out of his bloodied clothes with his wife’s body on the kitchen floor.
A blood stained axe was discovered on the worktop and a knife with the tip missing was on the floor.
Ms Karmy-Jones said: “The force used to kill her can only be described as brutal.”
In interviews following his arrest, Winiarski had initially claimed it was his wife who had become increasingly aggressive.
He claimed he had not intended to kill her but had become angry due to her behaviour and that had believed she had posted “bad things” about him online, the court was told.
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Stephen Spence KC, mitigating, said he had been “substantially impaired” due to a complex mental history and had been suffering from “morbid jealousy”.
But jailing him Judge Bate told Winiarski: “It is clear that you intended to kill her. This was not a spontaneous attack.”
He added: “You pose a significant risk to the public, especially any future partners.”
Detective Inspector Alix Wright, who led the investigation, said: “This was a horrific attack by Rafal Winiarski against his wife. Malgorzata’s family have shown tremendous bravery throughout the investigation.
“We are committed to targeting domestic abuse as a priority and will continue to work with partner agencies to help victims.
“We would encourage anyone who has been a victim of domestic abuse or coercive and controlling behaviour to report this to police or seek professional support.”
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