Woman’s death followed years of violent abuse
8:58am Thursday 9th September 2010 in News
AN INQUEST into the deaths of a Lithuanian couple has heard how the woman suffered 15 years of abuse at the hands of her violent alcoholic partner.
Daiva Kucinskiene and Osvaldas Serelis were found dead at the home they shared in Farnworth.
Ms Kucinskiene, aged 42, died from an internal haemorrhage, probably caused in an assault by Mr Serelis.
The 44-year-old was found hanged in the same room at their home on Tig Fold Road, Bolton Coroner’s Court was told.
The pair were found together at the property on November 11 last year by their landlady, Raimonda Zlabiene.
It emerged at the hearing that Ms Kucinskiene had previously complained to police about her treatment at the hands of her partner when they lived together in Blackburn.
He was arrested and charged with assault by Lancashire Police in 2008, but the case was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service after Ms Kucinskiene fled back to her home country.
The prosecution did not go ahead because Ms Kucinskiene was no longer in danger.
But in a statement given to police in July 2008, before Ms Kucinskiene left the UK, she told how she had lost count of the number of times he had beaten her.
She said he was a karate fighter who once beat her so badly she could not open her eyes.
After she returned to the UK in March last year, she and Mr Serelis began living together in Farnworth.
The inquest heard Mr Serelis was a heavy drinker and the pair would visit their local off licence daily to buy cheap three-litre bottles of cider.
They appeared to be an outwardly loving couple but would get into arguments when they were drunk.
The landlady’s daughter, Ugne Zlabyte, who lived in a room upstairs in the same house, said: “I would notice sometimes she had bruises.
“I told him I did not like him hitting her.”
She told the inquest she had seen Ms Kucinskiene with black eyes, bloodied nose and other facial injuries.
The couple were found by their landlady late in the evening of Wednesday, November 11.
Mrs Zlabiene visited the property after not hearing from them for a couple of weeks. Pathologist Dr Naomi Carter said Ms Kucinskiene died as a result of an internal haemorrhage.
She said she strongly suspected it had been caused by an assault prior to her death.
Mr Serelis’s cause of death was hanging.
Police said no other third parties were involved in the deaths.
Senior investigating officer Vincent Chadwick said: “There are only two people that could tell us exactly what happened and they are dead.”
Assistant deputy coroner Peter Watson said: “There is strong evidence that Osvaldas is more than likely to have been involved in Ms Kucinskiene’s death.
“There is clearly some evidence of a history of domestic abuse.”
Mr Watson recorded an open verdict into Ms Kucinskiene’s death, as unlawful killing could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt.
He also recorded an open verdict in the case of Mr Serelis’s death as no suicide note was found.
