Jurors in the trial of a Ukrainian man pleading not guilty to murdering his wife two years ago are today expected to retire to deliberate, ending a six- day trial characterised by testimony describing the pain suffered by the victim as she lay dying in an elevator shaft.

The prosecution alleges that Lyudmila Nykytiuk, 35, fell to her death on November 8, 2009 in a block of flats in Ramon Perellos Street, St Paul’s Bay after she had been pushed by her husband, Sergeii, 41, following an argument. The accused admitted in a police statement to doing nothing when he heard her crying for help.

In his final address, defence lawyer Malcolm Mifsud said that when deliberating, the jury should not consider the statement his client made during interrogation because the police had piled pressure on him to admit his involvement so they could solve the case quickly.

Dr Mifsud said the investigating officers mentioned how many years in jail he stood to avoid if he admitted his involvement. Mr Nykytiuk was not assisted by a lawyer during or before the interrogation, which was a breach of his human rights, especially after taking into consideration the fact that he was a foreigner and was not familiar with how the legal system worked in Malta, the defence lawyer added.

Prosecuting lawyer Nadine Sant, from the Attorney General’s Office, said the evidence produced painted a clear picture of what had happened on the night in question. Witnesses heard the victim crying and the accused leaving their flat twice and going back inside, leaving her in the shaft to die a slow and painful death.

It took hours for her to be discovered, by which time she had passed away. The medical experts testified that had she been given medical help in time it was more than likely that she would have been saved but the accused denied her the urgent medical help she so badly needed, something that was so macabre, Dr Sant said.