FATHER CONVICTED OF STRANGLING GIRLFRIEND THEN TAKING TODDLER TO POLICE TO CONFESS
A man named Joaquim Marrafa from Reading in Berkshire was convicted of murdering his girlfriend Sandra Maralhas.He admitted to the police that he had strangled her, demonstrating how he throttled her while his two-year-old son was in a pushchair nearby.
Despite claiming his actions resulted from mental impairment, the jury did not believe his version and convicted him of murder.
He was sentenced to serve at least 14 years of a life sentence.
After the verdict, Detective Inspector Dave Hubbard stated: 'Sandra Maralhas was the mother of six children, aged between one and twenty, who have been left devastated, confused, shocked, and heartbroken by her death.' He added that Marrafa refused to plead guilty, causing her son and others to endure court proceedings, and emphasized that Marrafa showed no remorse for his crime.
The victim had left her home due to emotional abuse and physical violence but continued seeing Marrafa to receive some of the benefit money for their children.
The post-mortem confirmed she was strangled, with her murderer possibly having had his hands tightly around her neck for as long as three minutes.
Marrafa attempted to blame his actions on mental illness, but the jury dismissed this explanation.
The court's decision reflects the gravity of the crime and Marrafa's lack of remorse.
