Man guilty of murdering Polish man found gagged in ditch

A man has been found guilty of murdering a fellow Polish man who was found bound and gagged in a ditch.

The body of Kamil Leszczynski, 33, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, was discovered on a farm between Carlton and Turvey in Bedfordshire on 1 July.

Lukasz Stachura denied his murder, but was convicted following a trial at Luton Crown Court.

The 40-year-old from Gold Street, Wellingborough, will be sentenced later this month.

Prosecutor Eloise Marshall QC said DNA found on the vest used to gag Mr Leszczynski, whose wrists were found bound by a phone charging cable, came from Stachura.

She said it was believed Stachura murdered Mr Leszczynski and "deposited his body where it was found some days later".

"A pathologist indicated his airway had been obstructed by a gag which had forced his tongue back," she added.

"A head injury suggested he may have been unconscious either prior to or at the time the gag was put in his mouth."

Ms Marshall said Mr Leszczynski had been seen on CCTV in Wellingborough at 20:00 BST on 27 June and he made his last phone call at 20:18 that evening.

She said grasses and leaves from the area where the body was found were discovered in Stachura's red Vauxhall Astra.

The prosecutor said that CCTV from Emmaus Village Shop in Carlton showed a car that matched Stachura's travelling along the road.

Stachura had told a friend he did not like Mr Leszczynski, the court also heard.

Judge Lynn Tayton QC remanded Stachura in custody and told him: "The jury found you guilty of murder. There is only one sentence I can impose. That is a life sentence."

Det Insp Dale Mepstead, from Bedfordshire Police, described Stachura as a "dangerous man".

"Despite substantial evidence, he continued to peddle a fictional situation that he was the subject of a plot to frame him," he added.

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