Ugandan Man Jailed for 27 Years in the UK for Killing Mistress and Unborn Baby After She Refused Abortion

Filmon Andmichaen, 31, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 27 years for the brutal murder of his pregnant mistress, Liwam Bereket, and their unborn child.

The incident occurred on August 1 last year in a wooded area off Freeth Street, Ladywood, Birmingham.

Andmichaen, originally from Uganda, was in a relationship with Bereket when he discovered she was pregnant. Upon learning about the baby, he reportedly pressured her to have an abortion.

When the 26-year-old refused, Andmichaen resorted to violence, leading to what prosecutors described as a “callous and cowardly” act.

Judge Mr. Justice Choudhury, during sentencing, expressed certainty that Filmon Andmichaen deliberately intended to end the lives of Liwam Bereket and her unborn daughter.

Andmichaen, who kept his head lowered in the dock, was found guilty of stabbing Ms. Bereket in the neck and leaving her to die face down in the grass for over an hour before finally calling emergency services.

Jurors deliberated for approximately three-and-a-half hours before unanimously convicting Filmon Andmichaen of murder and child destruction.

These verdicts were reached during his second trial, as the first trial in March had collapsed due to legal issues surrounding the child destruction charge.

The matter was subsequently resolved by the Court of Appeal, allowing the charge to remain part of the indictment presented to the jury in the retrial.

During the first trial, it was revealed that Filmon Andmichaen, of Haddon Road in Great Barr, contacted emergency services at 9:45 PM, approximately 90 minutes after stabbing Liwam Bereket in the neck.

In the call, Andmichaen admitted to the call handler that he had killed his girlfriend “by mistake” and also claimed he had attempted to take his own life.

Andmichaen asked the call handler to send officers to his address and he would show them where she was, with prosecutor Sandip Patel KC telling the jury the defendant “must have known Liwam’s condition was perilous and that time was of the essence, and yet he expressed a desire for the emergency services to go to him first”.

When Liwam Bereket was eventually discovered lying face down and bleeding from a neck wound in an overgrown bushy area, emergency responders performed an emergency Caesarean section in a desperate attempt to save her unborn daughter. Tragically, the baby was stillborn.

Instead of contacting emergency services immediately after the attack, Filmon Andmichaen was captured on CCTV walking toward a nearby canal with a bag in hand. Prosecutor Mr. Patel suggested this may have been an attempt to dispose of evidence, as the knife used in the stabbing was never recovered.

After the stabbing, Filmon Andmichaen returned to the scene with his brother, who later told police he had grown concerned after noticing Andmichaen’s wet clothing. The brother urged him to call 999 if he had committed a crime, which ultimately led to the delayed emergency call.

The court heard that Andmichaen had pressured Ms. Bereket to terminate her pregnancy, as he was already married with children—a revelation that deeply upset her.

His wife, who moved from Uganda to live with him in Birmingham after meeting him on Facebook in September 2021 and marrying him in January 2022, testified that she was unaware of Ms. Bereket’s existence and described their marriage as “good.”

Throughout the trial, Andmichaen sat in the dock with the assistance of an interpreter translating proceedings into Tigrinya, a language spoken in East Africa. Judge Choudhury described Andmichaen and Ms. Bereket’s relationship as “volatile,” noting that the defendant had attempted to deny paternity of the unborn child and treated Ms. Bereket with “low regard.”

Judge Choudhury noted that Filmon Andmichaen attempted to shift blame onto Ms. Bereket, claiming that she had threatened to stab herself, a statement the court dismissed as part of his effort to avoid responsibility for the murder.

He said: “[Ms Bereket] was happy about the pregnancy. The same could not be said for you.

“You insisted on there being a DNA test, you told her to have an abortion and threatened her.

“On the day of the incident she was happy and looking forward to visiting a friend. You knew she was heavily pregnant. You picked her up, she wanted to talk.

“You’re wholly unable to explain how that wound to her neck happened. We cannot know what really happened but the truth is, you were responsible for the injuries she suffered. The wound to the neck was deliberate.

“I find your intention at that moment could only have been to end her life and that of her unborn child.

“Her attempts to get you to assume responsibility for the child caused you to lash out in frustration.

“Your actions were callous and cowardly. You could have called 999 immediately, but it was better for you if she did not live to tell the world what happened and you left her there to d!e.

“By your actions you have not only destroyed the lives of a woman and unborn child, but her family’s.”

Judge Choudhury remarked that Filmon Andmichaen displayed no remorse for his actions, highlighting the callous nature of his crime. While the only mitigating factor was his lack of prior convictions, the judge ordered him to serve a minimum of 27 years in prison, minus the 482 days already spent in custody.

In a statement read to the court, Ms Bereket’s family said the loss of their daughter and sister has “shattered our lives in ways that are beyond words”.

They said: “She was not just a daughter and sister, she was a beautiful soul full of life, laughter and love. She bought joy to everyone around her and was kind-hearted and compassionate.

“We are forever changed and haunted by the nagging question of why this happened. Every day we have sat to try and find answers as to why he did this terrible thing.

“Remember her not just as a victim but as a person who loved and was loved. She brought love and light into our lives and we miss her dearly every single day.”