Pawel Relowicz Sentenced To Life In Jail For The Rape And Murder Of Libby Squire

Pawel Relowicz has been sentenced to life in jail for the rape and murder of student Libby Squire.

Relowicz, 26, was found guilty of the charges on Thursday after jurors at Sheffield Crown Court returned the majority verdict on its sixth day of deliberations.

The married father-of-two must spend at least 27 years behind bars, the judge has ruled.

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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.

During the trial, the court heard how Relowicz had "identified Libby as a target" before "intercepting" her in the streetafter she was denied entry into a student nightclub.

The court heard how Relowicz had driven away with Libby in his car, before he raped and murdered the student near the Oak Road playing fields.

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Footage shown at Relowicz's trial is thought to have captured the precise moment he spotted Libby, as she was sat on her own on Beverley Road.

Richard Wright QC told the jury: "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.

"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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Speaking after the verdict yesterday, Libby's mum and dad, Lisa and Russ said: "As a family, today's verdict changes nothing for us.

"There is no closure. We don't get to have Libby back.

"Our lives don't revert back to normal. Libby will always be with us and we are all so proud of our beautiful, caring, wonderful girl.

"And although she has been physically taken from us, the memories we have and the love we share will never be taken."

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