He hired thugs to beat up his pregnant ex

He was prepared for the worst to not have a child. He will have to spend the next few years in prison. The Supreme Court of the canton of Bern increased the sentence of a thirty-year-old on Wednesday on appeal. The accused was found guilty of orchestrating, in 2021, the beating of his ex-girlfriend, who was pregnant with a child he did not want. The woman had been lured into the cellar of her building by men, hired by the defendant, disguised as delivery men. There, they hit her, targeting her belly rounded by seven months of pregnancy. The woman and her child escaped. But the latter remained traumatized by the attack.

The appeal was filed by the defendant, initially sentenced in 2023. On Wednesday, throughout the day of his retrial, the man, now 34 years old, continued to proclaim his innocence. According to his lawyer, who called for acquittal, there was insufficient evidence to lead to a conviction. The defense also tried to discredit the first, damning testimony of the accused’s current wife.

But nothing happened. “The Court has not the slightest doubt about the guilt of the accused,” declared the president of the court at the end of the trial. According to the latter, it is clear that the accused wanted the unborn baby to die. Furthermore: “There is no reason why the victim could not have told the truth, especially since these statements correspond to the evidence.”

In rendering his verdict, the president of the court did not mince his words, describing the attack as an “unprecedented act of violence” and mentioning the “glaring selfishness” of the defendant. The man was sentenced to five years and eleven months in prison, 15 months more than decided in the first verdict. He will also have to compensate the victim to the amount of 15,000 francs and pay legal costs.

Witness, victim or perpetrator of violence?