The sentencing of a Polish man for the murder of a fellow countryman was adjourned opn Friday, August 26, 2022, because Bedford Prison did not bring him to court.
Lukasz Stachura, 40, was due to be sentenced at Luton crown court for the killing of Kamil Leszczynski.
The 33-year-old’s body was found in a ditch at Valley View Farm near the village of Carlton in north Bedfordshire on 1st July last year. The former shoe warehouse worker had been living 11 miles away in Wellingborough.
Prosecutor Eloise Marshall QC said he died from having his airways blocked by the gag. His wrists had been bound by a phone cable. Stachura, of Gold Street, Wellingborough, who ran a cleaning and odd job company, pleaded not guilty to murdering Kamil Leszczynski, but was found guilty by the jury after a three week trial in April.
Judge Lynn Tayton QC adjourned the hearing until December 19, 2022, and criticised the prison. Stachura had been due to be brought to the prison in the morning to see his lawyers before being sentenced in the afternoon.
She said: “I find this incomprehensible. There has been an error, but there was plenty of time to rectify that error. “
The judge went on: “There is only one sentence I can pass and that is life. The only issue is the minimum term the defendant will have to serve.”
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