Every third day, in our #EveryThreeDays campaign, I write about a woman killed by a man. Previously in this campaign, which started on the 2nd of May, we have remembered 44 women, the last being the mother of two, twenty-year-old Lauren Masters.
Today we remember an exceedingly talented classical pianist – Natalia Strelchenko.
Natalia was born in Russia and played her first concert at the age of 12 with the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra. Natalia’s career went international a few years later, with performances at London’s Wigmore Hall and New Yorks Carnegie Hall to rave reviews. She was married to another classical musician Double bass player John Martin who became jealous of Natalia success and became controlling and argumentative.
In late August 2015, Martin argued with Natalia leaving her with 76 injuries, including 45 separate marks to her head and neck, and having suffered repeated blows to her face.
The BBC reported: After drinking around four cans of cider, Martin left the house before returning at around midnight after learning that Ms Strelchenko had advertised the address on a property exchange website for people who wanted to swap homes for short periods. He claimed he had no memory of pushing her, falling down the stairs or of the struggle that followed. A consultant psychiatrist called by the defence, told the jury he believed Martin had been suffering from “a severe depressive episode”.
The prosecuting counsel, Rob Hall claimed Martin was jealous of Ms Strelchenko’s successful career but giving evidence, he told the jury that was “ridiculous”. The couple’s relationship was “marked with tensions. “He was very jealous if she was out without him… They would also argue regularly about such matters as financial affairs and who should keep the house clean.”
After finding Martin guilty at Manchester Crown Court, the family of Natalia said she was “much loved” adding: “we will never forget Natalia or the many memories she has given us”. They continued, “She was extremely talented with much life ahead of her. “She was taken from us in August in completely unnecessary circumstances. We cannot express how devastated we are that her life has been stolen from her.
You can hear the beautiful music that Natalia made by clicking here.
Natalia Strelchenko
#EveryThreeDays
Authored by Steph @PlaceSteph
