A daughter who strangled her elderly mother with a belt on Christmas morning before attempting to take her own life has been jailed for eight years.
Stefania Glowka, 64, killed Tamara Glowka, 86, at their address in Devizes, Wiltshire, on 25 December last year.
Glowka pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and was acquitted of murder by a unanimous jury following a trial at Bristol Crown Court.
Judge Julian Lambert told Glowka that determining the correct sentence in the case was “difficult”, with Glowka stating she wishes to serve her sentence and then take her own life following her release.
The judge said on Tuesday: “This is an utterly extraordinary and deeply sad case.
“Your mother had no one else in the world but you. You had no one else in the world but your mother.
“You were devoted to one another and you loved your mother as deeply as she loved you.
“You showed extraordinary kindness to your mother and you gave her the highest level of care.”
During Glowka’s trial, the court heard she had been the primary carer for her mother, who she lived and shared a bedroom with.
A jury was told Glowka said she wanted to “let her mum go” after both women experienced a deterioration in their mental health.
Simon Jones, prosecuting, said: “Tamara Glowka was 86-years old when she was strangled with a belt in what was a very deliberate act of violence.
“The plan had ultimately been for the defendant, Ms Glowka, to commit suicide after killing her mother.
“That suicide attempt failed and the subsequent police investigation into events that day (the prosecution say) has established a tragic but determined murder.”
Mr Jones told the court Glowka had prepared her mother’s favourite meal on Christmas Eve and spent a “nice evening” with her, before they both went to bed.
Glowka, who never married or had children of her own, would later tell police she was the sole carer for her mother, who had suffered a decline in her mental and physical health and had recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The court heard Glowka struggled to sleep that night and felt she had no energy to continue to care for her mother.
Glowka later told the police it was a “spur of the moment” decision to strangle her using a belt as she rose from her bed to use the bathroom in the early hours of the morning.
The court heard Glowka laid next to her deceased mother and attempted to take her own life.
Despite losing consciousness for some time, she later awoke and phoned the police to explain what had happened.
In the call, she said she had been the sole carer for her mother over a period of 17 years and described herself as being “at the end of my road”.
When officers arrived at the property, Glowka directed them to a box containing documents including a letter addressed to a close friend, in which she said: “I killed my mum as I cannot continue to look after her and I love her too much to put her into an institutionalised care.
“I also cannot envisage life on my own, old age and inevitable health issues.”
The jury was told two psychiatrists had assessed Glowka and believed she was suffering from a recurrent depressive disorder.
All 12 members of the jury returned following their verdict to watch Judge Lambert sentence Glowka on Tuesday afternoon.
One female juror wept as Nicholas Corsellis KC read a letter from Glowka, which she had written to the judge ahead of the verdict.
In the letter, Glowka described her mother as “the best mother in the whole world” and always made her feel “much loved and cherished”.
“I learnt from her how to tell right from wrong and I feel very bad that I let her down at her most vulnerable, when she needed me the most,” she wrote.
“My crime violated so many written and unwritten codes.”
Glowka said she felt bad for “betraying the oath” she took 10 years ago when she became a UK citizen and felt “very ashamed” of herself.
“The only way I can repay my debt to the country that took me in is by working in prison to improve the environment for other prisoners and staff, because they also matter,” she continued.
“I know mother would have wanted that, because she always worked so hard and was the best example I had in front of my eyes, all my life.
“I made myself a pariah, outside civilised society, and I feel I don’t have the right to return or belong there anymore.
“My mother is with me everyday. I talk to her and often hear her voice.
“I had a shining light in my life and I extinguished it.
“Now there is only darkness around me.”
Speaking after the case, Detective Sergeant Chris Hughes of Wiltshire Police described the incident as “incredibly sad”.
“I’d like to thank and pay tribute to all the officers who attended this incident, as well as the various staff from our partner agencies,” he said.
“It can’t have been easy on a day which revolves around family, but they dealt with this incident with the usual professionalism, care and diligence.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected], or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
