A man who claimed he was under a voodoo spell when he stabbed his Nigerian fiancée three times before dancing naked has been sentenced to 12 and half years in jail in England
Andrew Hunye, 33, was naked, lying on the floor and ‘speaking in tongues’ before he plunged a knife into Tessie Adeyemi’s head at their home in east London.
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Ms Adeyemi, who is in her 30s, almost died and still suffers from facial paralysis after the attack on November 4, 2018, Wood Green Crown Court heard.
Hunye had been smoking skunk weed at the couple’s home in Chadwell Heath when the victim heard him shouting at himself in the kitchen.
When she went in to check on him Hunye stood up, pointed at the ceiling, gestured at her and said: “I am God and you are the devil.”
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He then grabbed a knife from another room before stabbing her three times in the neck and the back of her head.
Going out on to the communal landing he did a dance of celebration before returning to their flat.
Adeyemi managed to escape with life-threatening injuries after her attacker went for a shower.
She was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries but stood by her fiancé throughout his trial and told the court they still had a good relationship.
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The pair, who had booked tickets to Nigeria and Dubai to celebrate their wedding, are both religious and believe the knife attack was caused by a voodoo spell.
Hunye said in evidence: “I was not in a right state of mind, I had lost my mind, I was hearing voices.’
Psychiatrists told the court Hunye was not suffering from mental illness.
Judge David Aaronberg told him: “You and Ms Adeyemi have strong religious beliefs.
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“You are both devoted Christians, you also both have traditional Nigerian beliefs regarding Voodoo or Juju.”
But the judge added: “English law does not recognise the concept of possession by an evil spirit.”
He said that instead, the attack resulted from a combination of the beliefs and the consumption of skunk cannabis.
Hunye denied attempted murder but was convicted and jailed for 12 years and six months.
