Woman jailed for 14 years for murder of Anthony Browne in Poleglass

The family of a man murdered by his partner said he only saw the good in people, which was his vulnerability.

In court on Wednesday, a 35-year old woman was sentenced to a minimum 14 years in jail for the murder of her partner Anthony Browne in October 2022. Wiktoria Maksymowicz stabbed Mr Browne once in the neck in his Poleglass home which was a culmination of prior incidents of domestic violence.

In a statement following sentencing Mr Browne's heartbroken family said he was a "beautiful" human being.

"We would like to firstly welcome the sentencing of the court," they said. "Standing here today outside the court is something that none of us ever expected to be doing. "We would rather be spending the time with Anthony 'Tony' Browne. "Anthony Browne was a father, brother, uncle and friend and no sentence handed down to his murderer will ever bring him back or be enough. "Tony was a kind, generous, loving, humourous and beautiful human being. "He adored his three children Bobbi-Leigh, Shannon and Ryan as well as his brothers, his sisters, his nieces and nephews. "All of those who knew him spoke of his decency and generosity of spirit. "He was a spiritual man who only ever saw the goodness in people and while others might disparage someone, Tony would be the lone voice who would quietly point out a person's better virtues. "The virtue of only seeing the good in people unfortunately was also his vulnerability. "While others could see the darkness in his murderer, Tony could not. "She found him at a particularly vulnerable stage in his life and preyed upon him. . "During the course of his relationship with his murderer, she constantly manipulated him and subjected him to violence and unseen torture. "The details of such which emerged during the court case are harrowing and simply disturbing. "To us he was such a strong person, but the evilness he endured was stronger. "We hope now that Tony can finally rest in peace as his murderer is imprisoned. "We, his children, family and friends will continue to remember a warm, caring and loving man, and we are proud and humbled to have known him and spent time in his company. "We would also call upon anyone experiencing domestic violence to come forward and seek help. "You will be believed and supported, and especially for men, we would urge you to contact the charity Men's Alliance NI. "Firstly, we would like to thank the Judge, the PPS, the PSNI and all those who had a role in the prosecution of Wiktoria Maksymowicz. "Our hope for the future is that no other person will this evil and despicable person and endure what we have.'' Tony's daughters Bobbi-Leigh and Shannon McIlwaine will run the Belfast Half Marathon this September 22 for the charity Men's Alliance NI in memory of their father and to raise awareness of domestic abuse directed at men. The court heard that due to his level of intoxication on the evening of October 14, 2022, it's highly likely that Mr Browne was unconscious when he was stabbed and killed in the bedroom of his bungalow at Woodside Park. As relatives of the deceased including his twin daughters Bobbi-Leigh and Shannon McIlwaine sat in the public gallery in Court 13 at Belfast Crown Court, Mr Justice O'Hara spoke of a history of "casual domestic violence" Maksymowicz inflicted upon Mr Browne. The court heard that as a result of their father's murder, the twins have both been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The senior judge said the murder was aggravated by a violent incident the night before, when Maksymowicz stabbed Mr Browne in the leg with a knife in front of his nephew. Mr Justice O'Hara also spoke of prior incidents of violence which Maksymowicz inflicted upon Mr Browne during their six-month relationship which were not reported to the PSNI. Maksymowicz pleaded guilty in May to three offences 'aggravated by reason of involving domestic abuse' including murder and was handed a Life Sentence. The Polish national, with an address at Woodside Park, pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Browne on October 14, 2022 and possessing cannabis on the same date. She also admitted charges of possessing a knife on a Glider bus and assaulting Mr Browne the day before his murder, on October 13, 2022. Today the 14-year tariff was imposed and she will serve the full term before her release is considered by the Parole Commissioners.

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