This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-50820639
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Ryanair pilot's mental torment drove partner to kill son | Ryanair pilot's mental torment drove partner to kill son |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A woman stabbed her 23-month-old son to death following a mental breakdown triggered by her controlling pilot boyfriend, a court has heard. | A woman stabbed her 23-month-old son to death following a mental breakdown triggered by her controlling pilot boyfriend, a court has heard. |
| Ryanair pilot Peter Chilvers repeatedly threatened to kill Magda Lesicka, 33, before she attacked their son, James, at her home in Wythenshawe in 2017. | Ryanair pilot Peter Chilvers repeatedly threatened to kill Magda Lesicka, 33, before she attacked their son, James, at her home in Wythenshawe in 2017. |
| She was jailed for 15 years last year after pleading guilty to manslaughter. | She was jailed for 15 years last year after pleading guilty to manslaughter. |
| Chilvers, 33, has now been jailed for 18 months after being convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour. | Chilvers, 33, has now been jailed for 18 months after being convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour. |
| Manchester Crown Court heard Lesicka, who met Chilvers while also working for the airline, was sentenced on the basis her mental illness emerged suddenly and without any warning, and she had no memory of committing the offence on 26 August 2017. | Manchester Crown Court heard Lesicka, who met Chilvers while also working for the airline, was sentenced on the basis her mental illness emerged suddenly and without any warning, and she had no memory of committing the offence on 26 August 2017. |
| 'Unending misery' | 'Unending misery' |
| The couple had been in a relationship since 2010 but Chilvers cheated on Lesicka from 2014 with another cabin crew member, jurors heard. | The couple had been in a relationship since 2010 but Chilvers cheated on Lesicka from 2014 with another cabin crew member, jurors heard. |
| Chilvers, from Northwich, Cheshire, warned Lesicka in a "visceral" phone call, which was played in court, that she did not have the financial resources to win a custody battle. | Chilvers, from Northwich, Cheshire, warned Lesicka in a "visceral" phone call, which was played in court, that she did not have the financial resources to win a custody battle. |
| In the days before the killing, Lesicka made internet searches about "killing in self defence" and contacted domestic abuse charity Women's Aid, the court heard. | In the days before the killing, Lesicka made internet searches about "killing in self defence" and contacted domestic abuse charity Women's Aid, the court heard. |
| The Crown accepted her defence that she killed James following a breakdown induced by the "deliberate, relentless and ultimately overwhelming psychological torment" inflicted by Chilvers who had portrayed a "landscape of unending misery if she did not comply with his demands". | The Crown accepted her defence that she killed James following a breakdown induced by the "deliberate, relentless and ultimately overwhelming psychological torment" inflicted by Chilvers who had portrayed a "landscape of unending misery if she did not comply with his demands". |
| Chilvers' controlling or coercive behaviour, between December 2015 and August 2017, included using or threatening physical violence, forcing her into degrading sexual acts, isolating her from her friends and restricting her finances. | Chilvers' controlling or coercive behaviour, between December 2015 and August 2017, included using or threatening physical violence, forcing her into degrading sexual acts, isolating her from her friends and restricting her finances. |
| As part of the evidence, the court heard a 33-minute phone call made by Chilvers on the morning of 26 August to Lesicka - before the killing - in which at times he screamed profanities at her. | As part of the evidence, the court heard a 33-minute phone call made by Chilvers on the morning of 26 August to Lesicka - before the killing - in which at times he screamed profanities at her. |
| Rob Hall, prosecuting, said such behaviour confirmed his "bullying, controlling, self-centred nature". | Rob Hall, prosecuting, said such behaviour confirmed his "bullying, controlling, self-centred nature". |
| 'Tragic innocent victim' | |
| Lesicka, a Polish national, was jailed in July last year after pleading guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. | |
| At her sentencing hearing at Preston Crown Court, Mr Justice Dove said: "James Chilvers was not yet two years old when he was brutally stabbed to death by you. It was a sustained attack with a knife in which multiple blows were struck while on his bed at home." | |
| He said James was "dearly loved and cherished" by those around him and had been "caught as a tragic innocent victim between two warring parents". | |
| "Whatever the rights and wrongs of that dispute, the last thing that should have happened is he lose his life - killed by a parent," he said. | |
| James's grandmother, Hilary Chilvers, read out her victim personal statement in court and described her grandson as being "full of potential and promise". | |
| "We have all been deprived of James's presence in our life," she said. "He was adorable, beautiful, inquisitive and loving." | |
| She added: "James's death has devastated our family. We will never again be able to live life to the full." | |
| 'Support available' | |
| Speaking after the hearing, Det Ch Insp Richard Eales, of Greater Manchester Police, said it had been "one of the most devastating and complex cases" he had come across. | Speaking after the hearing, Det Ch Insp Richard Eales, of Greater Manchester Police, said it had been "one of the most devastating and complex cases" he had come across. |
| "If people take anything away from this heartbreaking case, please let it be that there is support and help available for those who are suffering at the hands of domestic abuse," he said. | "If people take anything away from this heartbreaking case, please let it be that there is support and help available for those who are suffering at the hands of domestic abuse," he said. |
| "Most importantly though, I hope today's result has seen justice served for the person who matters most - James." | "Most importantly though, I hope today's result has seen justice served for the person who matters most - James." |