Cheating husband murdered pregnant girlfriend in Birmingham secluded spot, court hears

A cheating husband killed his girlfriend and their unborn child to solve the "complication" of having a pregnant mistress, a court heard.

Filmon Andmichaen, 30, is accused of taking Liwam Bereket, 26, to a secluded spot in Birmingham before making the "chilling decision" to slit her throat to deal with his "problem".

A court heard Miss Breket was found face down in undergrowth off Freeth Street in Ladywood, at around 8.45pm on August 1 last year. An emergency C-section was carried out but both Miss Bereket and her stillborn child, a baby girl, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Andmichaen, of Great Barr, has denied murder and destruction of a child and went on trial today (Tuesday, February 21) at Birmingham Crown Court. Opening the case, Sandip Patel KC, prosecuting, said: "The facts are simple as they are gruesome. He made the chilling decision.

"He decided that the life growing inside his girlfriend, a new innocent life they created together, was a complication he was unwilling to accept. He decided the simple solution to his problem was a permanent one, of murder."

He continued: "On August 1 last year the defendant took his girlfriend to a secluded spot. They went there together to be alone, and there ended her life and that of their unborn child, having cut her throat with a knife, which he had brought with him.

"He left her grievously injured and alone. She was 26-years-old and six months pregnant. The defendant then drove back to his home and spoke to his brother and they returned together to the scene.

"Having done so they then returned to his home. He did then call the emergency services, that is the police and ambulance. That was some one hour and 45 minutes after the defendant had inflicted the fatal wound.

"The defendant called the police station and stated that he had killed his girlfriend by mistake. He said that he had killed her with a little knife and that he did not mean to do it. He added that she was in a forest and said that he had left her there and was at his home address."

Mr Patel said that the defendant told police he had subsequently tried to kill himself three or four times. He said Admichaen had provided some information about where his girlfriend was but had asked for the emergency services to come to his home first.

Mr Patel added: "Throughout this the defendant appeared to be calm and relaxed and he did not appear to be agitated. The knife was never recovered despite a search of the area." Mr Patel said that eventually Miss Bereket was discovered lying face down near some bushes in undergrowth.

Attempts were made to provide medical assistance but there were no signs of breathing. Mr Patel said that Admichaen had married his wife in Uganda, that she had come to England in May last year.

He said: "She had described their marriage as good and it follows that she did not know anything about Liwam." He said that prior to the killing a witness had seen Admichaen punching Miss Bereket to the side of the face, after they had argued, knocking her to the pavement.

Mr Patel said that a post mortem examination revealed that death would not have been instantaneous and medical attention might have saved her life and that of her unborn child. He added "The defendant knew that his actions amounted to a death sentence for them both." The trial continues.