BENGALURU: The Principal City Civil and Sessions Court has sentenced one Manjunath G to rigorous life imprisonment for murdering his wife. It has also ordered him to pay a fine of Rs 10,000.
It is unfortunate that the accused, who fell in love and married Fiona Alexander, later brutally murdered her, observed Principal City Civil and Sessions Judge M Chandrashekar Reddy, while sentencing Manjunath to rigorous life imprisonment.
Manjunath fell in love with Fiona in 2004 when she was pursuing her nursing course. Against the wishes of her parents, their marriage took place at a temple in the city in February 2004. Subsequently, her parents accepted their relationship. The accused converted to Christianity and was named Alexander. Their marriage was solemnised at a church in Valiyathura, Kerala, in August 2004.Though the couple lived and worked in Kerala for some time, they eventually returned to Bengaluru. They lived in a house at Srirampura with their son. Due to marital issues, Fiona shifted to a PG and used to visit her husband and son often. Meanwhile, Manjunath stopped working. Fiona worked in a private airline agency and supported the family.
Manjunath objected to Fiona working with the airline agency. On December 11, 2010, Manjunath, with an intention to resolve the issues, invited one Sunitha to have talks with them. When Fiona came home for talks, Manjunath demanded that she quit her job or live separately. An argument broke out between them and Manjunath threw a copper vessel at her.
He picked up the vessel again and assaulted her and stabbed her several times. He also slit her throat. Later, Manjunath and Sunitha shifted Fiona to a nearby hospital. Fiona’s parents, who came from the UK, shifted her to a hospital in Kerala, where she succumbed to injuries on December 31, 2010.