“Jealous, possessive and aggressive” husband sentenced to life in prison for murdering wife with scissors

A man who killed his wife with a pair of scissors in Plumstead has been convicted of her murder and given a life sentence.

Vasile Bratu, 40, murdered his 49-year-old wife Constanta Bunea in the bathroom of a flat in Ravine Grove in Greenwich on Easter Sunday this year.

After the attack, Bratu called the emergency services and after paramedics arrived, told them that Ms Bunea had fallen on a pair of scissors.

Despite the best efforts of the paramedics, Ms Bunea died around an hour later.

Police officers at the scene noted that the lock to the bathroom had been damaged, suggesting that Ms Bunea had locked herself inside before she was murdered. 

Bratu told the officers that they had argued because she had wanted to cut her hair and he had told her that it would not suit her.

He was arrested at the scene. 

In later police interviews Bratu said that he did not know how the 10cm-deep fatal scissor injury had happened.

During the trial, Ms Bunea’s daughter told the jury about Bratu’s “jealous, possessive and aggressive behaviour” towards her mother.

She also spoke about bruises she had seen on her mother in video calls in the weeks before her death – although her mother had been at pains to suggest that Bratu was not responsible.

The couple had been together for around three years originally being introduced online just before Ms Bunea moved to the UK from Romania to find work in August 2019.

Father-of-three Bratu had been financially dependent on her income.

Emma Currie, from the CPS, said: “Constanta Bunea was a loving mother and grandmother who moved to the UK to provide a better life for her family back home in Romania. Vasile Bratu forced her into an unhappy lifestyle. 

 “He controlled her and used her for the money she made. Tragically, she could never admit to her plight and told her family she was content working in a Romanian bakery in London.

“Domestic violence can have a devastating impact. The CPS is dedicated to holding perpetrators of domestic abuse to account by bringing these cases to court. 

“I hope this conviction provides some sense of justice for the family and friends of Constanta Bunea. Our thoughts remain with them at this time.”

Today, Bratu was convicted of one count of murder following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court. He will serve a minimum of 21 years.