Wellingborough man Kamil Leszczynski was killed with a gag, court is told

Kamil Leszczynski was found near fields in Bedfordshire on 1 July

A 33-year-old found dead in a ditch with his wrists bound died after he was gagged, a court has heard.

The body of Kamil Leszczynski, from Wellingborough, was found between Carlton and Turvey in Bedfordshire on 1 July.

Luton Crown Court heard he fatally choked when a vest tied in a knot was thrust into his mouth.

Lukasz Stachura, 40, of Gold Street, Wellingborough, denies murdering Mr Leszczynski.

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 the defendant.

She said: "It is the crown's case that Mr Stachura murdered Kamil 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.

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

Kamil Leszczynsk was found between Carlton and Turvey in Bedfordshire

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 Mr Stachura's red Vauxhall Astra.

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

Ms Marshall said Mr Leszczynski, who was Polish, was described as a quiet man who never looked for trouble and who worked in a shoe warehouse.

She said the defendant, also Polish, had told a friend he did not like Mr Leszczynski.

On the day before he disappeared, the defendant and the victim were seen outside a shop in Wellingborough, the court was told.

"[Mr Stachura] was seen to be violent and aggressive towards him," Ms Marshall said.

The trial continues.