Woman left City banker to decompose for nine days after stabbing him 14 times, murder trial hears

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Joanna Cierpka, 51, told police "I killed my partner" when officers forced their way into the couple's Elephant and Castle flat and found the body of Danish Citibank banker Henrik Slotsaa, 52, in a bedroom where it had lain in an advanced state of decomposition. Slotsaa had sustained 14 distinct sharp-force injuries, among them stab wounds to his face, neck, arms and legs, Southwark Crown Court heard. A forensic pathologist estimated he had been dead for roughly a week before police discovered him on March 15. Cierpka denies murder but admits manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

On Cierpka's birthday, Slotsaa had told her he had started a relationship with a colleague, the court heard.

Prosecutors highlighted injuries to the backs of both knees that were distinctive in nature and 'may have represented an attempt at dismemberment.'

Officers raided the flat after Cierpka sent an email to family and friends saying she intended to take her own life.