A jealous husband has been warned he will likely never have a relationship with his son after brutally attacking his estranged wife and leaving her for dead on a public street.
Mahmut Cigercioglu, 32, returned before the Supreme Court of Victoria on Thursday and was jailed for 15 years over the attempted murder of his former wife Lutfiye Kavci.
Cigercioglu showed no emotion as Justice Amanda Fox announced the sentence but cast a short glance at Ms Kavci and her family as he swaggered from the courtroom.
The court was told Cigercioglu, who was living in Turkey, had been introduced by a family friend to Ms Kavci in 2019 and, after a short period of exchanging messages and calls, the two wed in January 2020.
Ms Kavci returned to Shepparton, in Victoria’s north, where she lived with her family before Cigercioglu moved over the following year.
He had planned to come earlier but was prevented by Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
Within months of Cigercioglu arriving their relationship became rocky, as Cigercioglu’s gambling and controlling behaviour impacted their marriage.
Ms Kavci left home and returned to her parents on July 26, taking their infant son with her.
Over the following months Cigercioglu made a number of efforts to reconcile, approaching his wife in public and demanding they talk but each time was rebuffed.
On October 15 he forced his way into her car and drove around Shepparton, assaulting her twice when she tried to raise the alarm.
After about half an hour he stopped near her home, retrieving a blue-handled kitchen knife he had hidden in a stranger’s front garden.
When Ms Kavci saw the knife she ran for her life but was chased down and overpowered by Cigercioglu.
He stabbed her repeatedly on a nature strip, only stopping when the knife broke from the forceful impact.
“You don’t deserve to be the mother of my child. You deserve to die,” he shouted as Ms Kavci begged him to stop.
The court was told Cigercioglu then fled in her car with their four-month-old son but was spotted and arrested hours later at a supermarket.
Justice Fox said Ms Kavci was “determined not to die” and got to her feet, walking down the street until a bystander heard her cries for help.
At the time, Cigercioglu had only been living in Australia for about six months and his relationship with Ms Kavci was his “first and only”.
When interviewed by police, Cigercioglu denied he was responsible and suggested she may have caused the injuries herself.
During his trial earlier this year, Cigercioglu maintained this, claiming she had stabbed herself in an effort to incriminate him and see other men.
Justice Fox said it was “hardly surprising” this implausible claim was swiftly rejected by the jury who found he had attempted to murder Ms Kavci.
Sentencing Cigercioglu, she found he was motivated by jealous control and continued to blame his ex-wife and her family for the offending.
“The only reason your attack ceased was because the knife broke,” she said.
“In your mind her rejection of you meant she deserved to die.”
Justice Fox said Cigercioglu would “almost certainly” be deported back to Turkey when his sentence expired.
He will be eligible for parole in 2033.