A Bulgarian man who was cleared of attempting to murder his former girlfriend but was instead found guilty of trying to seriously injure her was yesterday jailed for three years, one month and two weeks.

The judgement was handed down after jurors found Petro Dimitov Krushkov, 37, not guilty of attempting to murder his former lover on Christmas Day 2004. However, by six votes to three, the jurors found the Bulgarian man guilty of attempting to seriously injure 44-year-old Therese Cachia when he stabbed her in her bedroom after finding her in bed with another man. He was unanimously found guilty of illegal possession of a sharp and pointed instrument.

Krushkov stabbed Ms Cachia in her chest. A doctor who examined the patient when she was admitted to St Luke’s Hospital told jurors that Ms Cachia had multiple stab wounds in her lower chest and abdomen. He said one stab wound went right through the right breast.

Handing down his judgement, Mr Justice Galea Debono said that although the court could understand the convicted man’s feelings on discovering that the person he considered to be his lover was in fact two-timing him and sleeping with another man, it still cannot condone his actions.

He said the court felt that punishment has the purpose of serving as a general deterrent and that physical violence should, as a general rule, always incur a sentence of imprisonment with immediate effect, and this, more so, when weapons are used.

Mr Justice Galea Debono added that the court could not ignore the fact that had the blow not been cushioned by the nature of the victim’s physique, the knife could have caused considerable bodily harm to the victim.

He said that in view of these circumstances, the court felt that Krushkov should be condemned to the maximum punishment possible according to law. Following the verdict, the crime had gone down from attempted murder – which carries a maximum of 30 years in jail – to attempted grievous bodily harm with a maximum of three years and six weeks and a minimum punishment of one month’s imprisonment. He was therefore jailed for the maximum term possible.

Krushkov has been in jail since the incident – 25 December 2004 – and the time he has spent in preventive custody pending this case will have to be deducted from the prison sentence handed down yesterday.

Senior Counsel to the Republic Anthony Barbara prosecuted while Dr Malcolm Mifsud appeared for the accused.