A doctor who attacked his ex-lover with acid has had his jail term doubled by Hungary’s appeal court.
ADVERTISEMENTA doctor who attacked his ex-lover with acid has had his jail term doubled by Hungary’s appeal court.
The man, referred to only by his initials B.K. due to restrictions under Hungarian law, is a former director of a Budapest hospital and was convicted of drugging Erika Renner and putting acid on her sexual organ. He also robbed Renner, who was left maimed for life.
Hungary’s public prosecutor’s office had initially dropped the charges against B.K, who is a relative of a prominent politician of the ruling Fidesz party.
But after the victim appealed, the case was taken to court, where the doctor was given a four-year jail term. The country’s appeal court today extended that to nine years and banned him from practicing again.
The four-year term was given on the basis the woman’s life wasn’t in danger and the doctor had tried to lessen the consequences of his attack by washing her with chamomile tea and putting a blanket on her.
But the appeals court over-ruled this after hearing from experts that her life had been under threat.
The victim’s lawyer argued the crime should be qualified as attempted murder instead of grievous bodily harm, because the doctor knew she could have died from the attack.