Wellingborough man Lukasz Stachura jailed for ditch murder

Kamil Leszczynski had been beaten and gagged before his body was dumped in a ditch

A man who joked to friends about killing a missing man, has been jailed for a minimum of 23 years for murder.

The battered body of Kamil Leszczynski, 33, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, was found bound and gagged in a ditch on a farm in Bedfordshire on 1 July 2021.

Lukasz Stachura, 41, denied murder claiming he barely knew the victim, but his DNA was found on the gag.

A jury at Luton Crown Court found him guilty and he was jailed for life.

Stachura, a father-of-two who lived at Gold Street in Wellingborough, told friends that he had killed Mr Leszczynski when they questioned why they had not heard from him, Bedfordshire Police said.

Officers said Stachura had already killed Mr Leszczynski on 27 June 2021 and dumped his body close to a farm track in fields off Turvey Road, between the villages of Carlton and Turvey.

The body was found four days later.

The court heard Stachura went by the nickname Pompa, meaning "pumped" in Polish, because he worked out and boxed.

He had arrived in the UK from Oliwa in Poland in 2004, and had worked variously at a building site, warehouse and factory before setting up a firm for cleaning houses and garden work in 2015.

Lukasz Stachura will spend a minimum of 23 years in jail

The court also heard that Mr Leszczynski had endured "severe physical suffering" at the hands of Stachura, who bound his victim with phone cables and gagged his mouth.

During the trial, prosecutor Eloise Marshall KC, said: "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."

She said the gag had been made from a knotted vest that was found to contain Stachura's DNA.

The court heard that grass and leaves from the area where the body was discovered were found on Stachura's red Vauxhall Astra.

CCTV from the Emmaus Village Shop in Carlton showed a car that matched his, travelling along the road near where the body was found.

Kamil Leszczynski was found between Carlton and Turvey in Bedfordshire

Stachura was found guilty by the jury in April last year.

During his trial he said he had never had an argument with Mr Leszczynski, who he knew by sight in Wellingborough.

"We have never been together for so long to have an argument," he said.

He also claimed his car had been stolen.

Sentencing, Judge Lynn Tayton KC called it a "determined and brutal" attack.

"It appears you had some sort of issue with him," she said.

"A severe physical suffering was inflicted on him. He must also have suffered mentally as he was bound. You gagged him with such force you pushed his tongue back."

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Insp Dale Mepstead, said: "Stachura has shown no remorse for his actions whatsoever and he concocted a bizarre story in an attempt to evade justice, despite clear and overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

"This has been an incredibly challenging investigation and our thoughts remain with Mr Leszczynski's loved ones."

His family of Mr Leszczynski described the father and uncle as "cheerful and affectionate".

"Kamil was a wonderful person and a wonderful brother," a statement issued after the attack said.

"He will be missed by all of his family and friends."