A MURDER trial has taken a dramatic turn when two men admitted the manslaughter of a Polish father-of-one who was beaten to death before his mutilated body was dumped in a shallow grave.
Rafal Chmielewski and Zbigniew Pawlowski admitted their role in the killing of Tomasz Dembler before the 39-year-old's hands were chopped off.
Three other co-accused - Monika Solerska; Tomasz Reczycki; and Adam Czerwinski, all pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by helping to dispose of the body.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Mr Dembler was savagely beaten in the early hours of March 21 last year following a row over after he made an alleged sexual slur towards Pawlowski.
The jury heard how Mr Dembler was killed inside a house on Edward Street, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough.
Mr Dembler's mutilated body was discovered in a shallow grave in woodland near Flatts Lane Country Park by two teenage girls after they spotted his toes poking out of the soil.
Throughout the seven-week trial, jurors heard how Mr Dembler suffered horrendous injuries when he was kicked, punched, and stamped on during a sustained brutal attack.
The court heard how a few days before the killing, Pawlowski had become enraged when Mr Dembler made a joke about him having sexual contact with men.
Peter Makepeace QC, prosecuting, told jurors that a few days after the joke was made Pawlowski beat the 39-year-old to death after barging his way into Mr Dembler's bedroom.
The victim, who had connections to Darlington and Middlesbrough, was last seen alive picking up a pizza on March 20, jurors were told.
Mr Makepeace QC said analysis of Mr Dembler's mobile phone showed that the last use of it occurred at 3.36am on Sunday, March 21, in the North Ormesby area of Middlesbrough.
A trawl of CCTV identified two Mercedes registered to Rafal Chmielewski and Monika Solerska, which were spotted moving between the address and the site where Mr Dembler's body was buried on the day he died – Sunday, March 21.
Pawlowski, of Leven Street, Newport, Middlesbrough; Rafal Chmielewski, 37, of Birchington Avenue, Grangetown; Tomasz Reczycki, 37, of Ashfield Avenue, Grove Hill, Middlesbrough; Monika Solerska, 37, of Birchington Avenue, Grangetown; and Adam Czerwinski, 45, of Edward Street, North Ormesby, had all denied murder.
They will be sentenced on Friday.
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