A “TORMENTED” man who strangled his wife to death in front of his four-year-old son has been jailed for eight years.
Tourgay Djevdet, 50, cracked during a violent row with his wife Aysel at their home in Palmers Green and throttled her for at least 20 seconds, the Old Bailey heard.
His young son later described seeing the fatal tussle, showing a foster carer using toys how his mother was on top of his father as they fought, before he pinned her down and strangled her until blood spurted out of her mouth.
Djevdet then called his sister explaining what had happened before calling police and confessing: “She jumped me, then I strangled her. I think she is dead.”
Officers arrived at the Callard Avenue house on December 30 last year, and found smashed crockery in the sink which had sparked the argument which led to Mrs Djevdet's death.
Cypriot-born Turk Djevdet was taken into custody where his mental state deteriorated, and he could barely speak when interviewed by detectives.
He was held in a psychiatric hospital for seven months before being transferred back to prison, and was sentenced to eight years in jail on Friday, December 10, for manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
The court heard Djevdet married his wife in 1999, but she was “controlling, argumentative and abusive towards him", prosecutor Zoe Johnson said.
He had not held a serious relationship before his marriage and the court was told of one instance when his sisters reported seeing Mrs Djevdet throw a hot cup of tea at her husband during a row.
She added: “More significantly, the sister saw the defendant with facial injuries, that is to say cuts and bruises, but he never told the family how these had been inflicted.”
Judge Timothy Pontius, sentencing, accepted Djevdet had been suffering from a depressive illness and psychotic symptoms at the time of the killing, but said following extensive treatment, he did not pose a lingering threat to the public.
He said: “I accept that the relationship between the two of you was at times strained and volatile and it may well be the case that she was the dominant partner in the relationship.
“After you killed her you made intelligible, rational phone calls first to your sister and then to the police, providing some degree of detail about what took place.
“But there is no doubt that at the time your responsibility for your actions was substantially diminished as a result of a depressive illness.”
He added: “Any deliberate taking of a human life in whatever circumstances must always be regarded as very serious indeed.”
In an impact statement from Mrs Djevdet's family, the court heard how relatives still struggle to deal with the killing a year on.
It said: “Ever since the family became aware of the terrible killing, the mother, father, brothers and sisters and all relatives have experienced difficulty to describe great sorrow that has not desisted yet.
“Her mother and sisters are constantly crying, and her mother visits the cemetery every Sunday and talks to her daughter.”
Djevdet will be eligible for parole after serving four years behind bars and his year spent in custody will be taken into account as time served.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here