In a recent investigation conducted by the Metropolitan Police (Met), Nicolae Virtosu, a 49-year-old resident of Princes Road, Ilford, has been sentenced to a minimum of 28 years in prison for the murder of his sister-in-law, Svetlana Mihalachi. The sentencing took place at the Old Bailey on Monday, 9 October.
Virtosu had previously been convicted of murder and making a threat to kill during a court hearing on 21 July. The court proceedings revealed that Virtosu and Svetlana were brother-in-law and lived together with Svetlana’s husband and their 12-year-old son in their Ilford home.
The relationship between Virtosu and Svetlana was far from amicable, often marked by arguments about household chores, noise, and financial matters. Svetlana eventually expressed her wish for Virtosu to move out, but he stubbornly refused.
As time passed, their relationship deteriorated further, with Virtosu persistently threatening Svetlana. This led her to fear for her life and ultimately report Virtosu, who was residing in the UK illegally, to the Home Office.
On 3 March 2021, Svetlana called the police to request Virtosu’s removal from their shared home. However, she was afraid of the potential consequences and frightened of Virtosu, so she hesitated to make a formal statement. The officers assured her that they would report Virtosu to immigration services.
Tragically, on 9 April 2021, at 14:08, the London Ambulance Service received a distress call reporting an assault on a woman at the Princes Road residence. Police promptly arrived at the scene and discovered Svetlana with severe head injuries caused by blows from a hatchet. The murder weapon was found at the scene, with Virtosu’s fingerprints identified on the handle.
CCTV footage from the area revealed that Virtosu had left the house at 12:02, hastening his pace along Princes Road. During his departure, he made an unsuccessful phone call to Svetlana’s husband. Subsequently, Virtosu sent a text message informing him of his wife’s untimely demise.
Upon Svetlana’s husband’s return, he found her lying on the sofa, gravely injured with head and facial wounds. Promptly, officers provided first aid while awaiting the arrival of paramedics. The medical professionals administered emergency procedures at the scene before transporting her to the Royal London Hospital. Despite all efforts, Svetlana’s condition worsened, and she tragically passed away at 00:06 on 12 May 2021 due to multi-organ failure resulting from head injuries and blood loss.
In a turn of events, the defendant returned to the crime scene while emergency services were working tirelessly to save Svetlana’s life. Upon his return, Virtosu was promptly arrested on suspicion of murder.
Throughout the trial, Virtosu claimed to have been plagued by ‘voices’ and suffering from a psychotic disorder. He attempted to mount a defence of diminished responsibility, asserting that Svetlana appeared to him with devil-like glowing red eyes. However, this defence did not convince the jury.
Detective Constable Rosamund Ellis, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, expressed her thoughts on the case, stating, “In the months and weeks leading to her death, Svetlana Mihalachi had lived with the threat of violence from Virtosu ever present. Those threats eventually became a physical attack so ferocious that they ended her life.” DC Ellis went on to emphasise that Virtosu’s actions were not the result of delusions but rather the acts of an angry and violent individual who carried out the murderous attack as he had previously threatened.
