'His eyes were mad': Ukrainian woman tells court of stabbing by 'jealous' ex in Kerry

Alison O'Riordan

A Ukrainian refugee has described how she awoke to find her "jealous" ex-partner pinning her down and demanding to be told "the truth" about her "lover" before trying to murder her by stabbing her 15 times.

In her victim impact statement, Viktoriia Pavlenko said former soldier Hryhorii Sryotenko had "absolutely mad eyes" before launching the attack, in which he repeatedly stabbed her in the face and body.

Last October, Sryotenko (51) with an address at Banna Beach Holiday Homes, Ardfert in Co Kerry, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Pavlenko at that location on January 13th, 2024.

Sryotenko was previously charged with false imprisonment, assault causing serious harm and the production of a knife during a dispute.

Pavlenko said in her statement that she and her daughter had to leave Ukraine in 2022 when the war broke out and "look for a shelter somewhere in a safe place".

The victim said life improved when they came to Ireland and it gave them "a feeling of peace and tranquility" but that "everything changed completely" on the day of the attack.

In her statement, Pavlenko said she met Sryotenko in Ireland and they were neighbours.

"At first everything was good, we planned our future life together. But then he turned out to be very jealous. He started to accuse me of saying and doing things I've never said or done"," she said.

At this point, the victim said she started to suspect her partner had some mental health problems. She said they separated in November 2023 but still lived in the same house.

"I will never forget January 13. I was sleeping peacefully in my bed when I heard a strange noise. I opened my eyes and at first I didn't realise what was going on. I saw Hryhorii in my bed, sitting on me with a knife in his hands.

"His eyes were absolutely mad. He threatened to stab me if I didn't tell him the truth about my lover. I didn't have any lover so I didn't understand what he was talking about. Then he stabbed me on my face and body. I don't know how many times because I was shocked.

"I shouted and luckily his son heard and came into the room and saved me. Truly speaking, I have rather vague memories of that day, mainly because of the pain, fear and shock".

Pavlenko said she was taken to University Hospital Kerry and then Cork University Hospital, where she was operated on for her injuries. The court heard she had 15 stab wounds on her body.

She said she spent weeks in hospital and then months recovering from the injuries and doing special exercises for rehabilitation. "I should admit that it was a rather difficult time for me".

The victim said that "step by step" she is coming back to a normal life with the help of her daughter and her friends.

Detective Garda Anthony Wharton detailed the events of the morning of January 13th, telling Paul Murray, prosecuting, that the defendant comes from Ukraine, was a former soldier and had been injured in the Crimean conflict in 2014.

The detective said Sryotenko, who has no previous convictions, attempted to enlist when the Ukraine war broke out but was not accepted due to his injuries. He then came to Ireland.

Under cross-examination, Det Gda Wharton agreed with Mark Nicholas with Maria Brosnan, defending, that Sryotenko and Pavlenko had lived together in 2022, formed a romantic bond and were planning "a new life".

Nicholas said as their relationship continued, his client became jealous but was never aggressive until this incident.

He said Sryotenko had "an unshakeable belief" that his partner was being unfaithful to him. He said the victim tried to convince her partner that it was not true.

The officer said the victim started to notice her partner acting strange around Christmas 2023 and as he would look at a blank screen for a long time and was not talking. He said the defendant presented as "very depressed" and was mixing up reality with his imagination.

The witness said Sryotenko continued to believe Pavlenko was being unfaithful to him and the couple split in 2023. He said the defendant could not shift this belief so the couple didn't get back together.

Det Gda Wharton said "things came to a terrible end" on the morning of January 13th, when the defendant burst into Pavlenko's room. The witness said the victim was startled and Sryotenko "pressed on her about her faithfulness" and proceeded to cut her.

During interviews with gardaí, the detective said Sryotenko admitted stabbing the victim but denied attempting to kill her. The defendant said he had done something terrible and was happy Pavlenko was still alive.

Det Gda Wharton agreed with counsel that one cut was quite near the windpipe muscles but that the passage hadn't been ruptured.

Justice David Keane remanded Sryotenko in custody until March 16th, when probation and psychological reports will be before the court.

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