Mahmut Cigercioglu, 32, was found guilty by a jury in the Shepparton Supreme Court of attempted murder, and on Friday, November 3, prosecution and defence made their submissions for sentencing.
The trial in August heard how Cigercioglu stabbed his wife Lutfiye Kavci on October 15, 2021.
Ms Kavci had left him three months earlier, but on this day she was driving in a Shepparton street when Cigercioglu stepped out in front of her car and said he “wanted to talk”.
She said no and started to drive off, but he clung to the car, and she was forced to stop and Cigercioglu got in to the driver’s seat.
He then drove around north Shepparton streets, with prosecutor Justin Lewis saying Ms Kavci hit the horn twice to attract other people’s attention before Cigercioglu punched her in the head each time for doing so.
The court heard, in Barton St, about 1.51pm, he got out and grabbed a knife from a garden bed.
Ms Kavci saw the knife concealed in his sleeve, jumped out of the car and tried to run.
Mr Lewis said Cigercioglu stabbed her repeatedly, including in the hand and abdomen, before leaving her bleeding profusely and driving off.
She tried to call an ambulance but the amount of blood on her hands prevented her from using the touchscreen.
She was eventually helped by two people who stemmed the blood and called an ambulance.
Ms Kavci’s injuries were life-threatening and she sustained major blood loss and a collapsed lung.
She underwent surgery that night in Melbourne and remained in an induced coma for six days, followed by much more recovery time.
In the trial, the defence counsel argued there was no evidence Cigercioglu wounded Ms Kavci.
Defence counsel David Cronin told the court on Friday his client had had mental health problems, with PTSD from what he had seen during his time in national service for Turkey, but said he did not have any evidence to back up this claim.
He said custody had been burdensome for his client, who had limited English and had no visits from anyone as all his family lived overseas.
Mr Cronin also said Cigercioglu would likely be deported to Turkey when he was released from prison as he was only on a visa in Australia, and that his hope and belief that he would remain in Australia and have a relationship with his son after his sentence was “probably unrealistic”.
Mr Lewis argued there was sufficient evidence the stabbing was pre-meditated.
“The knife was retrieved with the intention to use it physically and not just as a threat,” he said.
The matter will return to court later this year for sentencing.
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