Life sentences for murderers who killed man with links to Spalding
Two men who carried out a brutal, sustained assault on their victim before his body was dumped in a waterway have been jailed for life.
Marcin Stolarek, who had links to Spalding, was assaulted by Lukasz Ferenc and Adam Kaminski at a house in Union Court, Boston, on the night of November 27, 2019.
After the assault, the 42-year-old’s body was bundled into a Vauxhall Astra car driven by Artur Klosowski before it was thrown into the waterway.
Marcin’s body is believed to have remained in the waterway until it was found at the Chain Bridge pumping station on Sunday, January 12, 2020. The discovery prompted one of the largest murder investigations in Lincolnshire for several years, with officers from East Midlands Specialist Operations Unit (EMSOU) supported by specialist officers from the National Crime Agency.
At the time of the discovery of Marcin's body, Detective Chief Inspector Karl Whiffen, from EMSOU said: “Marcin lived in Boston but also had links to Spalding, and people in those communities may have details that could prove crucial to our investigation."
At Lincoln Crown Court on Friday, Judge John Pini said the murder was of "shocking brutality, akin to an execution".
A post-mortem revealed Marcin had suffered significant head injuries, cuts, and fractures to his cheek bone and left leg.
Following sentencing, he said: “I cannot begin to imagine the pain suffered by Marcin’s family who continue to grieve the loss of a son, and a father. Our thoughts are with them today.
“This was a painstaking investigation that lasted 16 months, and it’s thanks to the tireless efforts from my team that Ferenc and Kaminski will now spend years in prison.
“There were a number of challenging elements: initially we did not have an identity for the victim, but thanks to the support of people locally and in Poland, we began to build our case. Given the many weeks between the murder and discovery of Marcin’s body there were other challenges too, but the team remained resolute.
“Our goal has always been to provide answers for Marcin’s family, and to make sure his killers were brought to justice.”
Police investigation began after officers were called to the pumping station on Chain Bridge Road, Boston, following a call at 6.57pm on Sunday, January 12, 2020. The caller reported that he had found what he thought to be a body.
At this stage the identity of the male found at the pumping station was unknown. A huge number of resources were brought in from across the East Midlands to assist in the investigation: fingertip searches of the banks of the waterway near the pumping station took place just metres away from specialist underwater search teams. Forensic specialists were drafted in while house-to-house enquiries were made.
A media campaign was launched in an effort to identify the victim, including a Polish language appeal and visuals showing a distinctive tattoo and clothing. The appeals were seen by a friend of Marcin and also his family in Poland, helping police to identify him.
The response and support from communities in the east and south of Lincolnshire with links to Poland was strong and particularly helpful to the investigation team.
It was later established that, following the police's media release confirming that a murder investigation had been launched, Kaminski and Justina Swaitek entered shops to buy paint, tape, brushes, sandpaper, disinfectant, tiles, superglue and dust sheets. It is believed that a clean-up operation was taking place in the property where the assault took place.
Following extensive efforts and thanks to the help of the public, within a week of the initial call – on January 16, 2020 – Kaminski was arrested on suspicion of murder. Ferenc was arrested and charged the following month.
Klosowski left Boston on January 16, driving to Holyhead in Wales before taking a ferry to the Republic of Ireland.
A relentless pursuit of Klosowski by the investigation team led to his arrest in Ireland on October 26, 2020. He was brought back to the UK along with the vehicle he had used during the offence and first appeared at a court hearing on December 1 last year. Klosowski pleaded guilty to a charge of perverting the course of justice. The initial charge of murder against Klosowski was dropped.
Sylwia Strek was found guilty of perverting the course of justice for lying to police about her knowledge and involvement, and that of Lukasz Ferenc, with Marcin Stolarek.
In a victim impact statement read at court, Marcin’s father said: “The murder of my son caused my heart to break in to a thousand pieces, which will never mend again.”
Another victim impact statement, from Marcin’s mother, read: “I do not know how to put into words my heart-breaking pain... it was he who was supposed to bury me, not I him, although I actually died with him.”
Sentencing is as follows:
Adam Kaminski (34), formerly of Union Court, Boston, had pleaded guilty to murder and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum of 19 years;
Lukasz Ferenc (28), formerly of Windsor Bank, Boston, was found guilty of murder. He had already pleaded guilty to a charge of supplying Class A and B drugs, and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court, to life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years;
Artur Klosowski (31), formerly of Fydell Street, Boston, was found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He was sentenced, at Lincoln Crown Court, in July, to 28 months;
Justyna Swaitek (28), formerly of Union Court, Boston, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender. She was sentenced, at Lincoln Crown Court, in July, to 32 months.
Sylwia Strek (20), formerly of Granville Street, Boston, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice. She had already pleaded guilty to supplying Class A and B drugs. She was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court, on Friday to two years and nine months.
