A married man who fatally knifed his pregnant girlfriend because the baby was a “complication he was unwilling to accept” has been jailed for a minimum of 27 years.
Filmon Andmichaen, 31, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the “callous and cowardly” killing of 26-year-old Liwam Bereket, who was 27 weeks pregnant, in woodland off Freeth Street, Ladywood, Birmingham, on August 1 last year.
Judge Mr Justice Choudhury said he had no doubt that Andmichaen, who kept his head down in the dock, had intended to end Ms Bereket’s life and that of her unborn daughter when he stabbed her in the neck and left her to die face down in the grass for over an hour before calling 999.
Jurors deliberated for nearly three-and-a-half hours before returning unanimous guilty verdicts to one count of murder and one count of child destruction earlier on Wednesday at Andmichaen’s second trial, after the first collapsed in March due to issues surrounding the second count.
The issue was resolved by the Court of Appeal and remained on the indictment that was put before jurors in the second trial.
The first trial heard that Andmichaen, of Haddon Road in Great Barr, called 999 at 9.45pm – an hour-and-a-half after Ms Bereket was stabbed in the neck – and told the call handler he had killed his girlfriend “by mistake” and had also tried to kill himself.
Andmichaen asked the call handler to send officers to his address and he would show them where she was, with prosecutor Sandip Patel KC telling the jury the defendant “must have known Liwam’s condition was perilous and that time was of the essence, and yet he expressed a desire for the emergency services to go to him first”.
When Ms Bereket was eventually found, face down and bleeding from the neck in an area of overgrown bushes, an emergency Caesarean section was carried out to try to save her baby girl, but she was stillborn.
Instead of immediately calling 999 after stabbing her, Andmichaen was seen on CCTV walking towards a nearby canal with a bag in his hand, with Mr Patel saying he may have been trying to get rid of evidence as the knife used was never found.
He also returned to the scene of the stabbing with his brother, who later told police he was concerned after seeing Andmichaen with wet clothes and urged him to call 999 if he had committed a crime.
The court heard that the defendant had previously told Ms Bereket, who was enjoying her pregnancy despite suffering morning sickness, to terminate the baby because he already had a wife and children – something that left her upset.
Andmichaen’s wife, who came to live with him in Haddon Road from Uganda after they met on Facebook in September 2021 and married in January 2022, had no idea about Ms Bereket and said their marriage had been “good”.
Friends of Ms Bereket had been concerned that Andmichaen was verbally abusive and threatening, and a neighbour in Haddon Road told police he had seen the defendant punching her in the face months before she was stabbed.
Mr Patel said during the first trial: “He said the death of Ms Bereket and his child was a terrible accident and not deliberate.
Filmon Andmichaen made a chilling decision – he decided the life growing inside his girlfriend was a complication he was unwilling to accept
“Ms Bereket did not die instantly, and in fact showed some signs of life two hours after being wounded, but the defendant did not call for help.
“He took her phone, which we say was intended to prevent her seeking help, as we know timely medical intervention may have saved her life.
“We say the defendant knew his actions would amount to the death of them both.
“He couldn’t possibly have Liwam alive because she would identify him as the person who tried to kill her and he delayed in calling for help and disposed of the knife which would have had his DNA and her blood on it.
“This is a case of grave consequences. It ended the life of a young, innocent woman and the unborn child she nourished inside her. The facts are as simple as they are gruesome.
“Filmon Andmichaen made a chilling decision – he decided the life growing inside his girlfriend was a complication he was unwilling to accept.
“He decided his solution to this was a permanent one.”
Andmichaen appeared in the dock alongside an interpreter who translated the proceedings into Tigrinya, a language spoken in east Africa.
Judge Choudhury said their relationship was “volatile”, that Andmichaen had tried to deny that he was the father of Ms Bereket’s child and that he held his girlfriend “in low regard”.
He also said Andmichaen had tried to blame Ms Bereket for what had happened, saying she was the one who threatened to stab herself.
He said: “[Ms Bereket] was happy about the pregnancy. The same could not be said for you.
“You insisted on there being a DNA test, you told her to have an abortion and threatened her.
“On the day of the incident she was happy and looking forward to visiting a friend. You knew she was heavily pregnant. You picked her up, she wanted to talk.
“You’re wholly unable to explain how that wound to her neck happened. We cannot know what really happened but the truth is, you were responsible for the injuries she suffered. The wound to the neck was deliberate.
“I find your intention at that moment could only have been to end her life and that of her unborn child.
“Her attempts to get you to assume responsibility for the child caused you to lash out in frustration.
“Your actions were callous and cowardly. You could have called 999 immediately, but it was better for you if she did not live to tell the world what happened and you left her there to die.
“By your actions you have not only destroyed the lives of a woman and unborn child, but her family’s.”
He said Andmichaen had not shown any remorse for what he had done and that the only mitigating factor was his lack of any previous convictions.
The judge ordered Andmichaen to serve at least 27 years, less the 482 days he has already spent on remand.
In a statement read to the court, Ms Bereket’s family said the loss of their daughter and sister has “shattered our lives in ways that are beyond words”.
They said: “She was not just a daughter and sister, she was a beautiful soul full of life, laughter and love. She bought joy to everyone around her and was kind-hearted and compassionate.
“We are forever changed and haunted by the nagging question of why this happened. Every day we have sat to try and find answers as to why he did this terrible thing.
“Remember her not just as a victim but as a person who loved and was loved. She brought love and light into our lives and we miss her dearly every single day.”
