Woman admits murder of ‘gentle and kind soul’

A woman who murdered a "gentle and kind soul" has been handed a life sentence after pleading guilty to murder.

Tony Browne, 54, was at his west Belfast home when he was murdered in 2022.

Instead, his girlfriend, Wiktoria Maksymowicz stabbed him as he lay sleeping in his bed.

On Friday, at Laganside Crown Court, the 35-year-old pleaded guilty to Mr Browne's murder.

The amount of time she will spend in jail will be determined at a later date.

Gavan Duffy KC spoke on behalf of Maksymowicz, telling the family of Mr Browne that she "fully accepts and understands the anger of the family".

"She knows and accepts they will never forgive her. Had it not been for her consumption of drugs and alcohol this would not have happened."

He said: "She is truly sorry for what has happened. If there was any way she could change what happened she would.

The father-of-three has been described by his daughters as a "gentle, caring and spiritual man".

They said he was someone who always saw the best in everyone.

Twins Bobbi-Leigh and Shannon McIlwaine told BBC News NI that "their lives have been destroyed" by their father's murder.

They said Maksymowicz was "extremely controlling".

"She would take our dad's phone from him and at times didn't allow him to speak to his family."

The twins added: "Once they were on the Glider on the way home and a girl sat beside our dad. Wiktoria started screaming at him and shouting all over the bus. Everyone was filming it. She then stabbed him on the leg.

"That was the day before she murdered him."

The 22-year-olds recalled the traumatic night their father was murdered.

"We got to his street and we could see lots of bright lights.

"There were so many police cars and ambulances outside his house along with a rapid response team.

"We thought maybe he was just badly hurt but by the time we got to the hospital they told us that he was dead.

"Even thinking about that day is so hard. We didn't get to say goodbye. We didn't get to tell our dad that we loved him one last time."

Shannon added: "I always think, when he died did he know that we loved him? Whenever he was dying – did he know?"

Bobbi-Leigh said the impact their father's murder has had on their lives has been "hugely distressing".

"It has completely traumatised us," she said.

"We identified our father's body. I will never forget that – ever."

"Our daddy will never walk us down the aisle," said Shannon.

"He'll never get to see his grandkids. Wiktoria took that opportunity away from him. She's taken it away from us.

"We're never going to see my dad being a grandad. She's ruined our lives," she added.

The twins are calling for support for men who are victims of domestic violence.

"Our dad was a victim of domestic abuse," they told BBC News NI.

"There still isn't much help for men. There is still a stigma around men asking for help," they said adding that there needs to be more awareness around men being abused."

If you have been affected by the issues covered in this story, help and support is available from BBC Action Line.