Man who smothered, choked, and set wife on fire after house party is jailed

Tom Tuite

A husband, who tried to smother his sleeping wife with a cushion before setting her on fire with barbecue fuel and choking her, has been jailed for five years.

53-year-old Vaidotas Gedvilas, a Lithuanian national, of Ashefield, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, carried out the three-stage attack after they had a house party and the following morning "acted as if nothing happened."

He informed Judge Keenan Johnson that it resulted from a breakdown in communication and his "failure to handle my emotions".

The traffic management supervisor had just pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and two connected counts under Section 3A of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 for causing his wife to believe she would be immediately subjected to strangulation and suffocation.

The frenzied attack happened between November 29th and November 30th, 2024, after he had been drinking at home, Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court heard.

In evidence, Garda Stephen Jordan said he was alerted by a friend of the victim, the next morning, saw the woman with severe burns to her back, and extensive bruising to her neck, arms, chest, and legs.

She also had a burn mark on her nose and a bruise to her forehead.

The court heard the couple had a party at their house, and when the guests left, Gedvilas's wife went into their extension to have a lie-down.

Gedvilas grabbed a cushion and put it over her face and tried to smother her, but she managed to grab a glass bottle and hit him over the head.

The victim reported to gardaí that her husband retrieved "burning liquid", which was barbecue fuel from their shed, and knocked her to the ground.

He sat on her, lifted her jumper, doused her back with the flammable liquid, and fetched a box of matches as he told her, "I'm going to light you."

Before he ignited the accelerant, Gedvilas also said that she would burn, and he would "sit 10 years in jail".

He also filmed the act with his phone, with the footage being shown in court

The court heard how his wife managed to roll around and put out the fire, and then run, but he grabbed her neck and began choking her for five or six seconds. Gedvilas knocked her down, kicked her hands and legs, and pulled her hair.

His wife then got out the front door but made it a couple of steps before being pulled back into the house. She lay down, and the next morning, the accused "acted like nothing happened" while she was in severe pain.

Gedvilas, who has lived in Ireland for more than 10 years with a strong work record, was arrested, but due to his intoxication, he was unfit to be questioned for another six hours.

In his interview, he told gardaí there was an argument and that he had been rendered unconscious from the bottle blow and claimed the injured party tried to burn the house down, and he denied burning her.

Confronted with the video evidence, he admitted it was his voice but said he did not recall it happening.

Eventually, he admitted to burning his wife but maintained he had wanted to scare her.

Medical reports revealed she had multiple fractured ribs, chest injuries, burns to her back covering four per cent of her body, lung damage, and a superficial wound to her forehead.

In her victim impact statement, she pleaded for leniency for him, saying he had shown genuine remorse, sought professional help, particularly in relation to his alcohol use, and they were committed to repairing their relationship.

She expressed that jailing Gedvilas would place her in a difficult position and "do more harm than good".

John Hayden SC, defending, furnished testimonials along with evidence that he had sought rehabilitation for his drinking.

Counsel asked the judge to note that the couple wished to deal with it in a loving way that avoided conflict. He also said his client understood the psychological trauma caused and had brought €1,000 to court for a domestic violence organisation.

In his court statement, Gedvilas said it was out of character, and he was truly sorry, profoundly ashamed, and capable of meaningful change.

Imprisoning him, Judge Johnson noted the exceptionally magnanimous views of the victim but said his hands were tied and he had no other option.

He admonished the accused that this type of "vicious and savage attack" would not be tolerated.

After setting a headline sentence of nine years, he considered the guilty plea and mitigation factors and reduced it to six and a half years, with the final 18 months suspended for five years, subject to a range of conditions post-release.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Women’s Aid (24-hour freephone helpline at 1800-341 900, email helpline@womensaid.ie) or Men’s Aid Ireland (confidential helpline at 01-554 3811, email hello@mensaid.ie) for support and information. 

Safe Ireland also offers a number of local services and helplines at safeireland.ie/get-help/where-to-find-help/. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.