Julija Adlesic: Woman who deliberately cut off own hand in insurance scam jailed for two years

A woman who cut off her own hand with a circular saw in the hope of getting a €1m (£925,000) insurance payout has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Julija Adlesic, 22, from Slovenia, plotted with her boyfriend to have her left hand severed above the wrist at their home in the capital Ljubljana early last year.

Adlesic was found guilty of attempted insurance fraud by a court in the city.

She stood to collect more than €1m, about half to be paid immediately, after signing insurance deals with five different providers about a year earlier, the court heard.

Her boyfriend was sentenced to three years in prison while his father received a one-year suspended sentence.

Days before the incident, her partner had searched the internet for information about how artificial hands work, prosecutors said, calling it further proof that it was done deliberately.

The pair had taken her to hospital, saying she had injured herself while sawing branches, but left the severed hand behind, rather than bringing it with them.

They wanted to ensure the disability was permanent, the court heard, but police recovered the hand and it was reattached.

During the trial, Adlesic claimed she was innocent, saying she would never have cut off her hand deliberately.

"No one wants to be crippled. My youth has been destroyed. I lost my hand at the age of 20. Only I know how it happened."

The trial has attracted lots of public and media attention in the country.

Judge Marjeta Dvornik said: "We believe the sentences are fair and appropriate, and will serve their purpose."