Cheating wife guilty of ultimate betrayal
Chris Soteriou suffered life threatening injuries.
Until that night Mr Soteriou believed he had the perfect marriage and the perfect life.
He woke from a coma to be told his wife had been cheating on him and was told a few days later that she had plotted to kill him.
After nearly two years of "hell" Mr Soteriou finally saw justice on Friday.
He yelled out "yes" and wept as a Victorian Supreme Court jury found his wife guilty of attempting to murder him.
Soteriou, the mother of their three children, stood a few metres away in the dock with her eyes closed as the verdict was delivered.
The jury of seven men and five women took less than three hours to reject Soteriou's defence that her lover acted alone.
Mr Soteriou's supporters applauded as the jury walked from court.
Outside court, Mr Soteriou's supporters shouted: "Victory."
An emotional Mr Soteriou said he was overwhelmed by the verdict.
"Justice has prevailed," he said.
"It is a good day. It's a good result.
"For the last 18 months it's been hell."
During the trial Mr Soteriou described the attack as he took to the stand to give evidence against his wife.
"I felt blood running down my body and I yelled out, 'Who are you, why are you doing this' and I started fighting," he said.
Mr Soteriou said he punched the man a couple of times and was concerned for his wife.
"I started looking for Vicky. I said: 'Where are you, Hon'," he said.
"I said: 'Run, just run'."
As he lay collapsed against a fence, he says he told his wife: "Just look after the kids" and "I love you".
Asked by prosecutor Andrew Tinney, SC, where his wife was during the attack, Mr Soteriou replied: "She was standing in the middle of the street. Watching me get killed, I guess."
The jury heard Soteriou had been having an affair with Dimitrakis for some time.
Soteriou found talk with Dimitrakis about plotting to kill her husband a "bizarre aphrodisiac", the jury was told.
Soteriou was in a passionate relationship with her lover and had an A for Ari tattooed on her finger under her wedding ring, while Dimitrakis had a V tattooed on him, the trial heard.
Soteriou's family cried after the verdict was delivered.
Her father came from the back of the courtroom and walked towards Justice Elizabeth Curtain, urging her to read a piece of paper he had.
He was stopped by a lawyer for Soteriou, who took the piece of paper from him.
Soteriou, who had been on bail, was remanded in custody to face a pre-sentence hearing on November 14.
18:18 AEST Fri Oct 7 2011
A cheating Melbourne wife who committed the ultimate betrayal by plotting to have her lover kill her millionaire husband on his birthday, has been found guilty of attempted murder.
Vicky Soteriou, 44, had her lover Ari Dimitrakis stab her husband Chris as she walked arm-in-arm with him after celebrating his 44th birthday at a Melbourne restaurant in January last year.Chris Soteriou suffered life threatening injuries.
Until that night Mr Soteriou believed he had the perfect marriage and the perfect life.
He woke from a coma to be told his wife had been cheating on him and was told a few days later that she had plotted to kill him.
After nearly two years of "hell" Mr Soteriou finally saw justice on Friday.
He yelled out "yes" and wept as a Victorian Supreme Court jury found his wife guilty of attempting to murder him.
Soteriou, the mother of their three children, stood a few metres away in the dock with her eyes closed as the verdict was delivered.
The jury of seven men and five women took less than three hours to reject Soteriou's defence that her lover acted alone.
Mr Soteriou's supporters applauded as the jury walked from court.
Outside court, Mr Soteriou's supporters shouted: "Victory."
An emotional Mr Soteriou said he was overwhelmed by the verdict.
"Justice has prevailed," he said.
"It is a good day. It's a good result.
"For the last 18 months it's been hell."
During the trial Mr Soteriou described the attack as he took to the stand to give evidence against his wife.
"I felt blood running down my body and I yelled out, 'Who are you, why are you doing this' and I started fighting," he said.
Mr Soteriou said he punched the man a couple of times and was concerned for his wife.
"I started looking for Vicky. I said: 'Where are you, Hon'," he said.
"I said: 'Run, just run'."
As he lay collapsed against a fence, he says he told his wife: "Just look after the kids" and "I love you".
Asked by prosecutor Andrew Tinney, SC, where his wife was during the attack, Mr Soteriou replied: "She was standing in the middle of the street. Watching me get killed, I guess."
The jury heard Soteriou had been having an affair with Dimitrakis for some time.
Soteriou found talk with Dimitrakis about plotting to kill her husband a "bizarre aphrodisiac", the jury was told.
Soteriou was in a passionate relationship with her lover and had an A for Ari tattooed on her finger under her wedding ring, while Dimitrakis had a V tattooed on him, the trial heard.
Soteriou's family cried after the verdict was delivered.
Her father came from the back of the courtroom and walked towards Justice Elizabeth Curtain, urging her to read a piece of paper he had.
He was stopped by a lawyer for Soteriou, who took the piece of paper from him.
Soteriou, who had been on bail, was remanded in custody to face a pre-sentence hearing on November 14.
SEE THE STORY AND VIDEO HERE
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8356984/vic-woman-found-guilty-of-kill-plot
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8356984/vic-woman-found-guilty-of-kill-plot
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