Woman admits manslaughter of Henrik Slotsaa at Elephant and Castle flat, Old Bailey murder trial hears

Published at 1:05am

A woman has admitted killing her partner, Danish banker Henrik Slotsaa, at their flat in Elephant and Castle — but denies murdering him, a jury at the Old Bailey has heard.

Joanna Cierpka, 51, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility over the death of Mr Slotsaa, 52, who was found dead in the couple’s bedroom in March, the court was told.

Prosecutor Danny Robinson KC told jurors that Cierpka, a Polish national, was arrested on 15 March 2026 after police were called to the flat with concerns for the welfare of those inside. Officers forced the door at 2.41pm and found Cierpka injured in the living room, the court heard.

Mr Slotsaa, who worked as a banker at Citibank’s London office in Canary Wharf, was discovered dead in the bedroom. The court heard it was clear he had been dead for some time, and a post-mortem examination concluded he had died around 9 March — around a week before his body was found.

The examination revealed 14 separate sharp force injuries to Mr Slotsaa’s face, neck, arms and legs. Three of the injuries were to the neck, one of which was potentially fatal on its own, jurors heard.

Wounds to his right index finger and left forearm were judged to be defensive injuries, while wounds to the backs of both knees may have represented an attempt at dismemberment, the prosecution said.

After her arrest Cierpka was taken to hospital for treatment for her own wounds. There she told a member of staff “I killed my partner” — a note that was recorded in writing and which she signed and dated, the jury was told.

The court heard the couple’s relationship had deteriorated in the months before Mr Slotsaa’s death. Cierpka, who had been made redundant and had previously received treatment and medication for depression, told a psychiatrist that Mr Slotsaa had said in December 2025 that he no longer loved her, and that on her birthday, 17 January, he told her he had met someone else at work.

That woman, Aimee O’Shaughnessy, had started work at Citibank in September 2025 and struck up a friendship with Mr Slotsaa, the court heard. He told her things were not great at home and that he liked her, but she said she did not want to complicate things by starting a relationship with him.

In the week of 9 to 13 March, Mr Slotsaa’s colleagues became increasingly concerned about his welfare after he failed to turn up for work and could not be contacted. On 13 March a Citibank security employee went to the flat and spoke to Cierpka on the intercom, the court heard — she told him Mr Slotsaa had gone out.

The jury must decide whether Cierpka murdered Mr Slotsaa or whether her responsibility was diminished by a recognised medical condition. The prosecution said the defence must show it is more likely than not that she was suffering from an abnormality of mental functioning which substantially impaired her ability to form a rational judgment or exercise self-control, and that it caused or significantly contributed to the killing.

Psychiatrist Dr Penelope Brown, instructed by the defence, told the court Cierpka was suffering from a severe depressive episode with marked suicidal tendencies at the time of the killing, making the defence of diminished responsibility available to her — a plea that has previously led to hospital orders rather than murder convictions in other London cases.

But Dr Shamir Patel, instructed by the prosecution, concluded she was not suffering from diminished responsibility. While he agreed she was depressed, he did not accept it had substantially impaired her judgment or self-control, the court heard.

In Dr Patel’s view, the killing happened because she was angry with Mr Slotsaa and jealous of his friendship with Ms O’Shaughnessy, set against the deterioration of their relationship and her use of alcohol, Mr Robinson said.

Fatal stabbings have brought a string of cases before the Old Bailey in recent months, including that of Reece Salmon, 28, who was named as the victim of a stabbing on Baker Street.

The trial continues.