Man convicted of wife's murder has sentence reduced by one year

Roger Agius, 51, who two years ago admitted to killing his wife had his 31-year jail term reduced by a year after the Court of Appeal ruled that the maximum punishment in his case was 30 years.

The trial by jury was not held as Agius admitted to the murder of his 40-year-old wife, the illegal possession of a knife and relapsing.

On 13 July 2009, Agius waited on a bus stop in Tarxien for his estranged wife, Catherine, to return from work.“I was on my way to the beach but wanted to talk to her about our separation proceedings. I had a lot of pressure as I believed she was having an affair and wanted to take my property in the separation settlement,”the accused had said at the beginning of his trial.

When Catherine stepped off the bus and refused to speak to him, the accused pulled her towards him and stabbed her with a knife. The woman was rushed to surgery with a 30cm blade and part of the handle stuck under her left breast but died from a perforated lung.

After stabbing his wife with a butcher’s knife, Agius walked to the police station and asked the officer on duty where he could wash his wife’s blood off his hands. Telling the officer what he had just done, the accused asked if he could have a cup of coffee and a cigarette.

At the start of his trial, Agius explained that he was pleading guilty to spare his children more suffering. Mr Justice Lawrence Quintano jailed him for 31 years. Agius appealed judgement arguing the term was excessive.

Noting the accused’s early guilty plea, Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri and judges David Scicluna and Joseph Zammit McKeon said the court was shocked by the seriousness of the case.“The accused was very violent and determined to kill his wife, given that the whole length of the blade had gone through her. The court has to ensure that such violent cases are not dealt with lightly. Society has to believe that justice is delivered and for the safety of citizens similar cases are severely punished,” the court said.

However the Court of Appeal ruled that the maximum punishment Agius could have been handed was 30 years. The Court of Appeal reduced his imprisonment by a year.

Lawyers Veronique Dalli and Dean Hili appeared for the accused.