2009/06/01

Spurned wife burned down family home 被甩人妻燒光住家房子

◎ 管淑平

A spurned wife who set fire to her family home so her cheating husband would get nothing in a divorce has walked free from court.

一名被拋棄的妻子為了讓偷情丈夫無法在離婚時分得一毛錢而放火燒掉她家房子,獲得法院無罪開釋。

Deborah Jackson, 45, burned the couple’s £210,000 house to the ground after finding out husband Kurt, 38, was having an affair.

45歲的黛博拉.傑克森發現38歲丈夫克特外遇後,把夫婦倆價值21萬英鎊的房子燒得精光。

The fire cost the couple £110,000 and left them penniless, according to Leicester Crown Court documents.

這場火讓這對夫妻損失11萬英鎊,使得他們身無分文,根據蘭開斯特刑事法院文件指出。

Recorder Nicholas Syfret said: ’Confronted with clear evidence of her husband’s infidelity, she took revenge on him by setting fire to the house from which she would have otherwise have benefited,’ ’She’s effectively punished herself by what she’s done.’

刑事法院法官賽佛瑞特說:「面對她丈夫不忠的明確證據,她放火燒掉這棟她原本會得到的房子來報復他」,「她實際上已經被她所作所為自我懲罰。」

The court heard Jackson was due to make £50,000 from the sale of the family home, after the couple agreed to divorce after 18 years of marriage.

法院了解到,在這對結婚18年的夫妻同意離婚後,傑克森太太原本將能因賣掉這棟房子獲得5萬英鎊。

Husband Kurt, whose two-year affair led to the divorce, was entitled to just £35,000 after loans and mortgage repayments had been paid back.

因一段兩年婚外情導致離婚的克特,原本在還清貸款後僅可以拿到3萬5000英鎊。

After her arrest, Jackson admitted arson and told police: ’I didn’t want him to get a penny.’

傑克森被捕後承認縱火,並向警方說:「我不想讓他得到一毛錢。」

新聞辭典:

spurn:動詞,很藐視地拒絕、摒棄。例句:She spurned his proposal to her.(她不屑的拒絕了他的求婚。)

burn to the ground: 動詞片語,燒得精光。例句:The fire spreaded quickly and burned his house to the ground in just half hour.(火勢蔓延迅速,半小時就把他的房子燒光。)

entitled to:形容詞片語,有資格的、應該得到的。例句:He’s entitled to this award.(這座獎是他該得的。)

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