Courts / Meath / Report
Woman jailed for 5.5 years for killing 'toxic relationship' partner
Summary
Sandra Sandaraite, 39, was sentenced to five and a half years' imprisonment for the manslaughter of her on‑off partner, Zbigniew Czech, 47, who was found dead on the stairwell of their Academy Street apartment on 10 December 2022. The Central Criminal Court, presided over by Ms Justice Caroline Biggs, described the relationship as toxic and volatile, with alcohol contributing to repeated violent incidents. Sandaraite had earlier pleaded guilty to manslaughter with excessive force in self‑defence, a plea accepted in March. She claimed that, if she had not taken a chef's knife from a closed box, she would have been beaten. The knife was found in Czech's hand, and a pathology report identified a fatal stab wound to his upper left lung. The judge accepted her early plea, reduced the sentence by three years, and suspended the final six months for two years to encourage rehabilitation. The sentence was back‑dated to the date of her initial arrest.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Woman jailed for 5.5 years for killing 'toxic relationship' partner. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- December 10, 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
- December 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2024-07-29 Publication
Why: Sandaraite initially told gardaí that she had lost her job and family because of Mr Czech and that she had "no tears". CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Outcome: A woman who stabbed her on-off partner to death, claiming that had she not picked up a "beautiful" chef's knife to defend herself, she would have been "battered", has been jailed for five and a half years. Ms Justice Biggs said she would discount three years of that sentence for Sandaraite's early plea and her personal circumstances and then suspended the final six months for two years to encourage her rehabilitation.
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