A Norwegian woman accused of fatally stabbing her husband at their home in Orihuela Costa has been granted release on €15,000 bail after 16 months in pre-trial detention.
The decision was handed down this week by the Seventh Section of the Audiencia Provincial de Alicante, sitting in Elche, overturning a previous refusal of bail by an Orihuela investigating court.
The 51-year-old defendant has been in custody since August 2024 following the death of her 45-year-old husband, who was stabbed during a violent incident at the family home. From the outset, she has maintained that she acted in legitimate self-defence as a victim of sustained gender violence.
Her lawyer, Juan Francisco Sánchez Otharán, of the Quiroga Sánchez, argued that continued imprisonment was disproportionate, citing both defensive injuries suffered by his client and multiple expert reports. A forensic assessment issued in December found no evidence of mental disorder but concluded that the perceived threat to her life and that of her children could have triggered an “insurmountable fear” reaction, impairing her ability to respond otherwise.
While the Provincial Court previously ruled that the question of self-defence should be determined at trial, judges have now taken into account the time already served in custody, psychological reports, and statements from the couple’s three minor children. The court noted indications that the accused had been living in a chronic situation of abuse and that the deceased displayed a significant level of aggression at the time of the fatal incident.
With the support of the Public Prosecutor’s Office — and opposition from the private prosecution — the court ordered her provisional release subject to conditions. In addition to the €15,000 bail, she must report to court every 15 days, surrender her passport and is prohibited from leaving Spain.
The fatal stabbing occurred in the early hours of August 2, 2024. The woman herself called emergency services, stating that her husband had attacked and pursued her inside and outside the property, and that she used a kitchen knife to defend herself. Their three children, aged 10, 8 and 6, were present in the home at the time.
The case will proceed to trial, where the central issue will be whether the killing constituted lawful self-defence under Spanish criminal law.
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