Wife Assaulted by Husband and Loses Sense of Smell, but Judge Lowers the Sentence: 'Unintentional'

A Spanish woman suffered serious lesions that affected the nervous connections between her nose and brain, making her lose her sense of smell.

Spanish news outlet ABC reported on the case, sharing that the local court in Northeastern Huesca, within the community of Aragon, sentenced the abusive and violent husband to four years in prison for kicking his wife in the face.

The survivor had to undergo surgery, and she was left with sequels from the vicious beating she was submitted to. Despite this, the Audiencia Provincial de Huesca showed mercy with the attacker when dictating sentence.

The court considered that the accused didn’t intend to leave his partner without a sense of smell, so the intentionality charges didn’t apply to him. Instead, they charged him with "grave imprudence."

Romanian-born Iulian M. reportedly attacked his wife after she complained to him for having spent a great sum of money on betting machines.

M. threw her down to the floor and pulled her hair before kicking her hard in the face, causing her a craniofacial fracture.

The woman started to bleed profusely, but she managed to get back on her feet and flee from the home. Her husband cleaned up the mess he made and didn’t bother to find out how his wife was after being so badly injured.

Eventually, the survivor returned to the site and her daughter talked her into seeking medical assistance. The two went to a local health center and was sent to a hospital in nearby Barbastro because of the nature of the injuries.

Once in Barbastro, the medical staff determined that she needed a craniofacial specialist, so she had to be transferred to Miguel Servet Hospital in Zaragoza to undergo reconstructive surgery.

They could fix some of the damage she suffered, but apart from the psychological trauma and loss of her sense of smell, she still experiences trouble breathing and was left with a malocclusion –misalignment of the teeth- because of the beating.

In addition to the time M. will spend behind bars, he will be on parole for five years. He is also forbidden to be anywhere near his victim for nine years and had to pay her €57.904 as a form of compensation.

There is discontent in Spain because of what many see as injustice and unequal treatment of women based on their gender, and a justice system which appears to protect male abusers.

On March 8, to mark International Women’s Day, five to six million people took to the streets all over the European nation to demonstrate in support of the feminist movement that called for a 24-hour strike demanding actions from the government to combat harassment, abuse, and gender inequality.