A 37-year-old man is said to have attacked his pregnant ex-wife with a hammer in Berlin. On Saturday evening he is said to have smashed a patio door to get into her apartment in the Friedrichsfelde district, the police said on Sunday. The 30-year-old woman and her 36-year-old partner tried to flee, but the perpetrator is said to have caught up with his ex-wife and pulled her to the ground. He is said to have struck her stomach and head with the hammer.

A resident of the house rushed to help the 30-year-old, so the women managed to snatch the hammer out of the man’s hand. The 30-year-old suffered minor injuries and was treated as an outpatient at the hospital. The man fled the house but was arrested a short time later. The 37-year-old is being investigated for dangerous bodily harm, attempted abortion, property damage and trespassing.

Violence against women is an ongoing issue. Every third day in Germany a man kills his wife or ex-partner. The number of assassination attempts is three times as high. 40 percent of all women and girls over the age of 16 experience physical and/or sexualized violence in the course of their lives, 42 percent experience psychological violence.

(dpa)