Violent past of accused killer
Kovac held by Lapland police
A man accused of killing his Scottish girlfriend in Lapland was previously convicted of a domestic assault in Stirling.
Radek Kovac is accused of stabbing Rebecca Johnson, 26, to death during a row at their digs in Kuttanen, Finland.
The 36-year-old Czech national is understood to have previously lived in Cowie and appeared in Stirling Sheriff Court in 2014, accused of assaulting his ex-partner.
Kovac was charged with assaulting Viktoria Lambertova by striking her on the head at their Ardgowan Place address in the early hours of August 17, 2013.
He claimed he only pushed her in self-defence but he was convicted of assault at a trial in January 2014 and was fined £700.
Ms Lambertova, 29, told the court Kovac had returned home and started arguing with her after she told him that she intended to leave him. He slapped her on the face.
Kovac, who also lived in Fishcross near Alloa, was captured by police in Finland after a manhunt in sub-zero conditions following Rebecca’s death in Finland on December 3.
A Finnish police statement said: “Lapland District Court has imprisoned the suspect of the homicide, according to the claim of the Lapland Police Department.
“A 36-year-old Czech citizen is suspected of killing his 26-year-old long-term partner. The victim is a female citizen of Scotland. The crime is being investigated as a murder.”
Rebecca, from Burntisland, Fife, was a member of the Santa Safari team helping Oxford-based tour operator Transun Travel organise Christmas-themed excursions to Lapland.
The crime is being investigated as a murder