A man from the Ukraine has chopped off the penis of a rapist he allegedly found sexually assaulting his wife.
The 27-year-old husband, who has not been named, had been heading home after attending a party at a restaurant in their village of Shevchenkovo, in the Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region.
His wife had left the restaurant just 10 minutes before, at approximately 1am. As she was nearing her apartment building, she was allegedly attacked from behind by 25-year-old Dmitry Ivchenko.
Ivchenko allegedly covered the woman’s mouth with his hand to stifle her screams, before dragging her into some bushes.
When her husband reached the apartment building, he heard sounds coming from the bushes. It was at this point he allegedly came across a horrific sight: Ivchenko gripping his wife’s throat while raping her.
The enraged husband proceeded to punch Ivchenko in the head before cutting off his penis with a Swiss Army Knife. Many of those in the area rushed to the scene, awoken by the alleged rapist’s screams of pain and the victim’s crying.
As reported by the MailOnline, the husband’s lawyer, Dmitry Spaskin, has made the following comments to local media:
The husband lost the ability to control his actions. He did not understand what he was doing.
The victim’s mother reported Ivchenko to the police, while others called for an ambulance. After being hospitalised at Shevchenko District Hospital, the victim underwent surgery.
It is not known whether or not surgeons were able to reattach the severed penis, and Ivchenko is said to need ‘long-lasting treatment’ going forward.
Snizhana Vodolazska, a spokeswoman for Kupiansk Region Police Department, said: ‘The suspect caught up with his victim near her apartment block and raped her.’
The husband has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm and has been placed under house arrest. He has since told local media, ‘I cannot explain what happened to me at that moment.’
Spaskin has explained how the husband was in a ‘state of shock’ following the incident:
After the incident, [the husband] was in a state of shock and just walked away.
He walked about 13 kilometres and reached a neighbouring village. There he met an acquaintance and asked to drive him to a police station. On October 13, at 7am, he handed himself into police and confessed in full.
Officers have launched a criminal case for rape against Ivchenko, who remains in hospital under police surveillance.
If found guilty, the husband could face up to eight years in prison, while Ivchenko could face up to five years.
The victim will reportedly now need counselling, and will be embarking on a lengthy period of psychological recovery.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 (12-2:30 and 7-9:30). Alternatively you can contact Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111.
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on its website or on its helpline – 0808 800 5005.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.