Historic Crime Ends in Life Sentence
A 40-year-old Polish woman has been handed a life sentence in England after being convicted of murdering her partner more than 15 years ago and concealing the body in their garden. The grim case, which dated back to 2010 and baffled investigators and missing person searches for years, culminated at Derby Crown Court where the defendant was found guilty of murder and related offences.
Brutal Murder and Concealment
The court heard that the victim, aged 30 at the time and also from Poland, disappeared shortly after moving with her partner to Derby in central England to seek work. Her family in Poland lost contact with her in 2010, sparking missing person reports in both countries. Prosecutors later revealed that she had been killed by her partner soon after her last known contact with relatives.
The defendant allegedly used her experience as a trained butcher to cut the body in half before burying it in the couple’s garden and covering the site with concrete hardstanding. Investigators only discovered the remains in 2025 after she contacted police to disclose the burial location following renewed interest and media attention surrounding the cold case.
Court Verdict and Sentence
During the trial, the defendant maintained that the killing occurred in self-defence during a violent confrontation. However, the jury rejected this claim and convicted her of murder, as well as perverting the course of justice and preventing a lawful burial. At sentencing, she received a life term with a minimum of 21 years in prison.
A judge criticised her for the “brutal” treatment of the victim’s remains and the long deception that left family members without answers about her fate for over a decade. The case brought some measure of closure to the victim’s daughter and relatives, who had endured years of uncertainty about what had happened.
