Man Who Cut His Hand As He Tried To Murder Wife Wins £17,500 Payout
A man who accidentally cut his hand while trying to murder his wife with a kitchen knife was awarded £17,500 in compensation for his injury.
Dorinel Cojanu, 36, was jailed for 11 years in December 2015 for attempted murder.
With an eight-inch blade, he stabbed his ex-wife Daniella, 35, in the back and front while he was drunk in the family kitchen, reports MailOnline.
Daniella was severely injured as the knife reportedly went through her right breast and passed through two ribs, which went into her lung and liver.
She was left with permanent scars and spent almost four months in hospital.
However, doctors say Cojanu required immediate surgery after stabbing his former wife with such force that it caused deep cuts to two fingers on his right hand.
Romania-born Cojanu launched a compensation claim against the NHS and insisted that the failure of doctors to treat him prior to arriving at Bedford prison has left him with restricted use of his right hand.
In May 2021, during a hearing at Norwich County Court, he was awarded £8,500 by judge Mr Recorder Gibbons.
Most of his claims were rejected by Gibbons for clinical negligence on the grounds that Cojanu had been dishonest over how he incurred the injury.
Yet, Cojanu claimed he was trying to defend himself and after his lawyers appealed the decision at the High Court, Mr Justice Ritchie then ruled that his compensation be increased to £17,500 while stating that Cojanu being 'dishonest' about how he received his injury was not relevant to the civil claim against the NHS.
The judge said: "The Claimant (Cojanu) did not need to prove how he was cut to win the civil action.
"He was injured before admission to prison. At that time he was not convicted of anything.
"It matters not whether he had suffered the injury opening a tin of beans, in gang warfare or whilst attempting to murder his wife.
"But the cause of the cut fingers has no relevance to the clinical negligence claim. In my judgment the mechanism of how he cut his finger is incidental to the claim or collateral thereto."
Former wife Daniella fumed: "It's insulting and disgusting. This man is a violent, domestic abuser who tried to kill me. And he's being rewarded while I haven't received a single penny.
"I was in hospital for almost four months and nearly didn't make it. It's disgraceful that he is being rewarded for an injury he caused to himself as he attacked me."
Cojanu denies the offences and insists that Daniella stabbed herself before he came into the kitchen.
Anish Vij