Olomouc, North Moravia, June 1 (CTK) – The Olomouc High Court upheld on Wednesday the 28-year prison sentence for Petr Kramny, 38, for the murder of his wife and eight-year-old daughter in Egypt in 2013, rejecting the state attorney and the defence’s demand for a tougher punishment and for acquittal, respectively.
The High Court identified itself with the opinion of the lower-instance regional court that the woman and the girl died hit by the electric current.
The verdict is valid.
Kramny may apply for an appellate review, but this would not suspend the enforcement of the verdict.
The High Court supported both the conclusions made by the regional court and the way it assessed the evidence.
However, the High Court lowered the compensation for the victims’ relatives, whom it recommended to seek compensation in civil proceedings.
Originally, the regional court ordered Kramny to pay compensation worth over eight millions crowns.
The High Court senate chairman Vaclav Capka said Kramny’s defence is expedient and there are many discrepancies in his description of what happened in Egypt.
The court also found discrepancies in Kramny’s description of his former family life. Long-lasting problems between the Kramny couple were probably the motive of the crime, the court said.
Kramny heard the verdict without emotions.
The tragedy occurred during the family’s holiday in Egypt in July 2013.
According to Egyptian authorities, the wife, 36, and the daughter died of dehydration in consequence of poisoning. However, experts found no poison on the scene of crime.
After the two women’s bodies were transferred to the Czech Republic, they were subjected to an autopsy in the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Ostrava, north Moravia. The autopsy showed that the women died when hit by electricity.
The Regional Court ruled out that they were hit by accident.
The defence, on its part, said the court failed to deal with the technical aspect and that no electric conductors were found.
