Libby Squire Murder Suspect Pawel Relowicz 'Stalked' Vulnerable Student Before Attacking

The man accused of raping and murdering student Libby Squire had "identified her as a target" before "intercepting" her in the street, a court heard today.

In CCTV footage, Pawel Relowicz, 26, was captured "effectively stalking" the 21-year-old before approaching her in Hull in January 2019, a court was told.

The trial, which is taking place at Sheffield Crown Court, heard how Relowicz later drove away with Libby in his car just moments later.

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Libby's body was found in the Humber Estuary seven weeks after she went missing while on a night out in Hull on 31st January 2019.

Richard Wright QC told the jury how Relowicz took Libby to Oak Field playing fields, where he is accused of raping and murdering the student before putting her body in the freezing River Hull.

"We will invite you to conclude that he had in fact seen Libby and the obviously drunken and distressed condition she was in. He had identified her as a target and his crossing the road was a device, a fiction to make it look like he hadn't seen her and was just walking on past," said Wright.

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"Whether Libby was forced into the vehicle physically, an act that would, we suggest, not have been difficult given her condition at that point, or whether she was persuaded to enter it, on the promise of some assistance being rendered to her, may never be clear from the CCTV footage alone."

Mr Wright went on to explain that one local resident, Sam Alford, reported hearing a woman screaming.

"They were distant screams but they were loud screams. Mr Alford recalled them as frantic screams that had urgency and had depth," he said.

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"There were gaps between them and there were several of them. We will invite you to conclude that the screams were Libby's and that the man then seen running back after the screaming had stopped was the defendant."

Mr Wright went on to tell jurors how further CCTV footage, taken after the last sighting of Libby, showed Relowicz performing a sex act in the street. A condom was later found with DNA profiling matching that of the defendant.

Relowicz denies rape and murder. The trial continues.

Topics: News

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot. Get in touch at [email protected].

@lucedevine