Suitcase body killer jailed for life

A killer was today behind bars after receiving a life sentence for the "senseless" murder of a Staffordshire factory worker whose body was found dumped in a suitcase.

Qualified teacher Sylwia Ciapcinska, who had a Master's degree in psychology, was discovered by youths in undergrowth last September.

The 24-year-old Polish national, who worked temporarily as a packer at Amethyst Logistics in Fradley Park, Lichfield, was last seen alive on town centre CCTV, shopping in Burton upon Trent on July 20 last year.

Her body was found several weeks later wrapped in clingfilm and zipped into her own suitcase, dumped near the town.

Her flatmate Tomasz Sobczak, aged 29, of Ash Street, Burton, was charged with her murder on August 5 and remanded in custody but refused to disclose where he had concealed the graduate's body. Police say they still do not know his motive for the killing.

The trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard that Sobczak, who must serve a minimum of 20 years, used the victim's bank card to withdraw a total of £420 from her bank account.

He told housemates she had moved out of the house to stay with a friend. Her possessions — including her passport, laptop computer, clothes and bank letters — were hidden in a cardboard box covered in his fingerprints in the loft.

The jury also heard how he had researched numerous computer websites about methods of strangling.

After yesterday's verdict DCI Steff Lungrin, who led the inquiry, said: "Sylwia's disappearance was completely out of character. She was an intelligent, diligent woman who kept in touch with her family in Poland on a daily basis. From the outset, we feared she had come to harm."

He continued: "Sobczak put Sylwia's family through weeks of torment. As evidence built against him, he refused to say where her body lay. We never discovered his motive as he consistently denied killing Sylwia in interview. The weight of evidence against him ultimately proved too strong."