Woman who shot millionaire ex-boyfriend tells court she did not want to 'cause him harm'
After he pulled out a gun the pair struggled for it before it went off
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Slovakian woman on trial for the fatal shooting of her British millionaire ex-boyfriend has said she “didn’t want to cause him any harm”.
Mayka Kukucova, 26, is accused of shooting Andrew Bush twice in the head and once in the shoulder at his home in the southern beach resort of Estepona on 5 April, 2014. She denies murder.
She said he pulled out a pistol and it went off during a struggle between the two of them and does not know how many shots were fired because the first one was so loud, temporarily deafening here.
“I didn’t want to cause him any harm,” she told the jury at the Ciudad de la Justicia in Malaga.
“The gun just went off. I only wanted to break free from his grasp.”
Her trial is expected to last three days.
Bush, 48, owned a jewellery store in Bristol, where Kukucova worked before she moved to Spain.
The pair had been in a relationship for more than two and a half years and broke up a month before the shooting.
Kukucova claims she had spent two days alone inside Bush’s house, before he returned with his new girlfriend, Maria Korotaeva.
“I was watching television, then I heard Andy in the garden. When he came and saw me he told his girlfriend to go out to the car.
“He started shouting and hitting me and took me strongly by the arms. I said I wanted to go but he said no."
The court herd Kukucova left the house after the gun was fired and told Ms Korotaeva to get out of the car, before driving off.
Kukucova handed herself in four days after the shooting in her tow town of Nova Bosaca in Slovakia. She was extradited to Spain to face charges of murder and vehicle theft.
The trial continues.