A nurse in the Czech Republic has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after stabbing her eight-year-old disabled daughter 96 times in what prosecutors described as an attempted murder-suicide.
Sarka P was convicted by the Prague High Court after admitting to killing her daughter at their family apartment in October last year.
Prosecutors said the girl was attacked with a 20cm kitchen knife while she tried to defend herself, reportedly attempting to grab the weapon from her mother.
Sarka told the court she could only remember inflicting the first four wounds. She said she could not believe she had attacked her daughter so many times and claimed she did not remember the rest of the stabbing.
Emergency services were called to the family apartment, where the girl was found dead and Sarka was discovered unconscious and seriously injured. Emergency service spokeswoman Monika Nováková said the mother had also suffered serious injuries.
The court heard that Sarka had swallowed pills in an apparent suicide attempt before deciding to take her daughter’s life as well.
In harrowing testimony, Sarka recalled seeing her daughter notice the knife in her hand before the child stood up and reached out to hug her.
“She started to stand up and stretched out her arms towards me. She wanted to hug me. So I hugged her,” Sarka told the court.
She said she told her daughter that they would “leave together” and that she would not leave her to face her fate alone. The girl also indicated that she wanted to bring her stuffed animals, which Sarka said she agreed to.
The incident reportedly followed growing concerns about the girl’s education and care. Sarka had learned that her daughter was struggling at school, would require additional care and was due to be transferred to a class for children with learning disabilities.
Sarka told the court that she was raising her daughter without help from the child’s father and had stopped attending social events to care for her.
Her lawyers argued that she had become exhausted and desperate, with the school notification acting as the final trigger.
However, prosecutor Zagarová disputed the explanation, saying Sarka had been angry about having additional responsibilities. The prosecutor also questioned her claimed memory loss, suggesting it could have been an attempt to secure a lighter sentence.
Psychological experts told the court that Sarka did not suffer from a mental disorder, although they described her as “emotionally unstable”. One expert said the motive appeared to be a combination of frustration and helplessness.
Sarka ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
