GEORGIAN CONSTANTIN

MAN WHO SET WIFE ON FIRE SENTENCED TO LIFE IN STOKE-ON-TRENT

A man identified as Georgian Constantin has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his estranged wife, Valentina Cozma.

Constantin poured petrol over Ms Cozma and set her on fire in her home, resulting in her death.

The court heard that Constantin had made threats to kill her if she ever left him and had threatened to kill himself if she did.

Two days before the incident, he was seen on CCTV purchasing a jerry can and filling it with petrol, and evidence presented in court showed that a plastic bottle containing petrol with his DNA was found in the back garden of the house.

Constantin sent a voicemail to Ms Cozma's boyfriend after the attack, claiming he had 'sorted her out and was coming for him,' and fled to London where he was arrested days later.

The judge ordered Constantin to serve a minimum of 28 years in prison.

Ms Cozma was trying to start a new life with her son, and her death was described by a firefighter as her being so contorted in the blaze she resembled a 'wax figure'.

The court documented that she had recently met another man and was looking forward to her future, despite their divorce in 2015, as they continued to live together.