Miracle
spine patient Darek Fidyka was stabbed 18 times by an old friend because
of rumours he had an affair with the man's wife, it is claimed.
The
Polish fireman was attacked and left for dead by Jaroslaw Szczepanik,
who suspected the pair had a three-year affair behind his back.
Mr
Fidyka, 40, made headlines this week after breakthrough treatment in
Poland by British doctors allowed him to walk again for the first time
since the attack.
Darek Fidyka walked for the first time
this week after being left paralysed when his old friend stabbed him 18
times, severing his spine
He said Szczepanik, also a fireman, was jealous that he got together with his former-wife Justyna after the pair divorced.
But yesterday, it was claimed Mr Fidyka may have become involved with the woman before she divorced her husband.
Szczepanik's
father Jerzy, 70, a fire station chief, said his son was 'paranoid'
that she was seeing another man when their marriage hit the rocks.
He told the Daily Mail: 'During the last three years of their marriage, he said that his wife was cheating on him.
'I wouldn't listen to him. I told him he was just being paranoid.
'During this time, Justyna was talking about a divorce. Jaroslaw never caught her, so he never knew for sure.'
Towards
the end of the marriage, his son, a heavy drinker, was arrested and
jailed for a year for attacking his wife - who then divorced him while
he was in prison.
Jaroslaw Szczepanik
(left), his old friend, launched the attack after hearing rumours
Fidyka had been having an affair with his estranged wife Justyna (right)
before the pair separated
His
father added: 'It was only obvious to him what was going on when he
came out of jail and found another man living in his house.'
The two love rivals knew each other from their youth, and worked as volunteer firemen for sister fire stations.
In
2006, Mr Fidyka divorced his wife Beata, who was a school friend of
Justyna, and left the home they shared with their son Przemek, now 20.
It
is understood Mr Fidyka moved into Justyna's home after her husband was
jailed in 2009, living with the former couple's two children.
Fidyka moved in to Justyna's home when her former husband was jailed for attacking her
When Szczepanik was released, he was banned in a court order from visiting the house and the children.
The
father added: 'It was an extremely emotionally difficult thing for him
to go through. It wasn't just that the woman had left him, but also that
there was another man living there.
'My son was an extremely good workman and we built the house together.'
The attack happened on July 27 2010, when Mr Fidyka woke up and heard someone damaging his car.
He went outside and was confronted by Szczepanik, who chased after him and knifed him 18 times.
The attacker then ran off to a nearby tree and committed suicide by hanging himself.
'My son had many friends and loved playing football,' the man added.
'It's sad but I wish Darek all the best. It's not his fault.'
Following
the attack, Mr Fidyka was left with no movement or feeling from the
waist down and facing life in a wheelchair after one of the wounds
completely severed his spinal cord.
But
this week it was announced that he has learnt to walk again with a
walking frame two years after undergoing revolutionary treatment in a
British-led breakthrough.
His
amazing recovery, which brings hope to paralysed people across the
world, will mean he can now resume his favourite hobby of hunting and
also drive an adapted car.
The
procedure involved transplanting cells from his nose into the damaged
part of his spine to repair his spinal cord, enabling the ends of
severed nerve fibres to grow and join together - something that was
previously thought to be impossible.
It
was led by Professor Geoffrey Raisman and a team from University
College London, funded by the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation and UK
Stem Cells Foundation.
Speaking from his hospital in Wroclaw, Mr Fidyka said he had decided to live with Justyna after she divorced her husband.
He said: 'The man was a criminal, and an alcoholic. When he realised I was with his former wife, he decided to take revenge.
'I knew the girl from my youth days. After my marriage ended, we decided to give it a go.
'On
the night it happened, I heard that somebody was wrecking my car. I
didn't know he had a knife. If I'd had known I would have taken my knife
or rifle.
'I'm
still angry with him for what he did but it gets less as time goes by.'
It is understood Justyna and Mr Fidyka broke up six months ago, with
the pair now not on speaking terms.
Speaking
from her detached countryside home in Rusiec, central Poland, Justyna
said she could not comment on her former father-in-law's claims.
In 2010 Jaroslaw stabbed Fidyka 18 times outside the house in Poland (pictured) before hanging himself
The 40-year-old is learning to walk again after receiving pioneering treatment from doctors in London
She said: 'What I went through four years ago was a huge psychological drain and talking about it now just brings it back.
'I wish Darek a good recovery and all the best. But what happened between Darek and I is between us.’
Last night, Mr Fidyka denied he had an affair with Justyna and insisted they only got together after her divorce.
He said: ‘You can ask anyone in the neighbourhood, they’ll tell you we weren’t together before her divorce.
‘I only moved in with her after the divorce.'
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