Ruth Kamande has exhausted her appeals and will continue to serve her life sentence following the murder of her boyfriend Farid Mohamed in 2015.
Kamade caused the death of her boyfriend after stabbing him atleast 25 times. During the proceeding of the case, she maintained that her actions were purely self-defence.
In her appeal at the highest court, Kamande sought leniency by using the Battered Woman Syndrome(BWS) to fight against her conviction. The Supreme Court however dismissed the case and upheld the high court’s ruling in 2020 on her life sentence.
The Supreme Court observed that BWS was being introduced for the first time. The judges noted that the defence wasn’t raised during her trial or in the court of appeal.
Additionally, the judges said that Kamande’s testimony implied that her relationship with Farid was a romantic one with no evidence of abuse or toxicity that would have supported the BWS defence.
The defence has been successful in some instances such as the case of Kathleen Weiand who shot and killed her husband Todd Weiand.
The defence has been presented in courts since 1900s.
What is Battered Woman Syndrome(BWS)?
This is a type of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. According to psychologists, BWS are behaviours and signs exhibited by women who have continually been exposed to trauma.
According to psychologist Lenore Walker, physical, emotional and sexual abuse happens in cycles leading to tension that results to violence.
The abuser would then apologize and promise to do better and the cycle begins again. The victim’s partner is always in control cutting the victim off from family and friends and access to finance.
Both men and women can however face abuse from their partners, hence the ‘battered person syndrome’ term. It is however still unclear whether men suffer the same psychological effects as women in abusive relationships
“We can’t assume that it’s the same syndrome, because men and women have different levels of power in society,” Walker said.
Symptoms of battered woman syndrome
- High levels of Anxiety leading to flight or fight responses, startled by noises, crying and sleeplessness
- Having intrusive memories
- Immense fear
- Problems with intimacy even long after victims get out of abusive relationships
- Isolation and dissociation
- Cognitive changes and depression.
How to address the matter
Leaving is one of the major ways of addressing abusive relationships but according to Walker, the point of separation is the most dangerous in such a relationship
One therefore has to come up with a safety plan, like coming up with a signal that will alert a neighbour to call for more help.
Aside from that reach out to organisations that would offer protection and safety to individuals in abusive relationship.
Additionally, seek help from professionals to help in the healing process.
