Brian Coulter: Killer sat drinking in victim's house for days

Brian Coulter's body was discovered in a flat in October 2021

A 29-year-old man killed a former police officer before sitting in the dead man's flat for several days drinking alcohol while his remains lay in a bedroom, a court has heard.

Sebastian Adrian Nowak has denied murdering 62-year-old Brian Coulter, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter in October.

He also pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Coulter's sister on 18 October 2021.

Nowak, of Colvil Street in Belfast, is due to be sentenced on Friday.

On Monday, details surrounding the retired police officer's death emerged during a plea hearing at Belfast Crown Court.

Disarray

Mr Coulter's body was discovered in his flat in the Sandy Braes area of Magherafelt, County Londonderry, on 18 October by his sister.

He was killed by Nowak some time between 13 and 14 October, and evidence in the flat suggested he was then placed in the shower and washed before his remains were moved to a bedroom.

The prosecutor said the flat was "in a state of disarray" with a shopping trolley in the living room.

Mr Coulter's sister entered the front bedroom and observed her brother lying on the floor. The prosecutor said: "His head was swollen and, because of his appearance, she knew he was dead."

At this point, Nowak woke from a sofa and shouted at Mr Coulter's sister, who then fled the property and rang the police.

When police arrived at the flat, they noticed blood in the living room, hallway and bathroom.

Mr Coulter's remains were removed from the bedroom and a post-mortem concluded death was due to blunt force injuries to his head, neck and chest.

He also suffered a bleed to the brain and had bruises on his chest and back as well as bruising to his wrists which were consistent with defensive injuries.

Brian Coulter was found dead in a ground-floor flat in Magherafelt

Nowak was later arrested and interviewed 15 times, giving a "no comment" response throughout, however he provided a pre-prepared statement during the final interview.

In the statement, Nowak claimed that - after an argument - Mr Coulter hit him and he struck him back twice in self-defence.

Nowak added that after this, he moved Mr Coulter's body to the bedroom then remained in the flat drinking for a few days before a lady arrived at the property.

'Victim blaming'

On Monday, defence barrister Michael Duffy said his client was an alcoholic, and while he branded the fatal incident as "unsavoury" and "unjustifiable", he said it was not a case of "persistent wanton violence".

"The plea was put forward on the basis the blows were struck by the accused during the course of an argument," he said.

There was never an intention for Nowak to cause Mr Coulter any serious harm, he added.

After listening to submissions from both the Crown and defence, Mr Justice O'Hara said there was an element of "victim blaming" regarding Nowak's version of events as he was "blaming Mr Coulter, who he killed, for instigating the confrontation".

Adding he needed some time to reflect on what he had heard, the senior judge said he would sentence Nowak on Friday.