Polish man jailed for life over partner's 2023 murder

Norbert Maiksner, a 49-year-old Polish national, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years on Friday at Portsmouth Crown Court for the murder of his 45-year-old partner, Frances Obiefuleh, whom he suffocated in their home in Havant, Hampshire, on the evening of April 16, 2023.

A postmortem examination determined that Obiefuleh died from smothering, with injuries consistent with compression of the neck and chest. Prosecutors stated that Maiksner wrapped blue tape around her face and head while she was still alive, in what was described as a prolonged attack. Scratches on Maiksner's chest, back, and face, along with blood on his clothing matching Obiefuleh's DNA, indicated she had fought desperately to defend herself in her final moments.

The attack occurred after the couple's relationship, which had lasted at least 18 months, had deteriorated. Court evidence revealed that Obiefuleh had confided in someone she met on a dating app about Maiksner's verbal abuse toward her. Doorbell camera footage captured Maiksner entering the home that evening, but he was not recorded leaving after the Wi-Fi was disconnected at the mains. Witnesses reported hearing loud...