A father who killed his two-year-old son after learning his mother was in a new relationship has been sentenced to life in prison.
Lukasz Chapla, 41, was unanimously found guilty of killing Julius Chapla and sentenced to at least 23 years in prison.
The judge described the murder as “a real evil that causes serious suffering to a defenseless child”. The court heard that the former IT technician shot his son in the head with a BB pistol, stabbed him with a skewer-like tool, and strangled him with a pillow at Muerhouse, Edinburgh, in November 2020.
The Edinburgh Supreme Court heard that it was in an act of “revenge and jealousy” to “retaliate” against his ex-partner.
Lukasz Chapla was sentenced to at least 23 years behind bars. Photo: Scottish Police / PA
Chapla has pleaded guilty to murder, claiming reduced liability. However, prosecutors rejected his confession and prosecuted him for murder.
Following the sentence, Patricia Szczesniak, Julius’ mother, said she would fight to ensure that Chapla “will never leave prison”.
Shchesnyak broke up with Chapla two months before killing their son.
In a statement released by Scottish police, she said: “The heron should not be entitled to any protection and we will fight to ensure that the monster never leaves prison.
“I only wanted the best for you [Julius]. If only I could turn back time to have you in my arms again, my child.
Shchesnyak added that her little boy loved and trusted his father. She said: “Despite the separation from Julius’ father, I wanted him to have contact with our son. I never stopped seeing Julius. Julius was killed only for revenge. His father wanted me to suffer, he succeeded and achieved his goal, at the cost of the life of my beloved little boy. “
The court heard that Chapla had been drinking alcohol and taking prescribed antidepressants the night he killed his son.
Addressing Chapla, Judge John Beckett said: “As a result of your actions, your son will never grow up.
Lord Beckett added: “There is no excuse for being full of drinks and drugs.
“Act out of malice to kill this child, to retaliate against his mother.”
The judge offered the members of the jury consulting services, adding: “There can be nothing in your life to prepare you for this experience, I guess it took you quite hard to hear about such horrible violence inflicted on such a defenseless child. for no reason and no good reason. ”
He cited comments from forensic psychiatrist Dr. Alexander Quinn during the trial, in which he described the events as “one of the most difficult and painful cases”.
Testifying during the trial, Chapla claims that he killed his son because he decided to end his own life and could not face leaving Julius without a father like him. He had previously told the court: “I did not want him to suffer at all, that was not my intention. I had this stupid idea from television that people just die instantly.
Chapla has previously pleaded guilty to nine other charges, including dangerous driving and possession of an air weapon. The sentences for each of them will run simultaneously with his life sentence, the court heard.
PA Media contributed to this report
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