MURDER suspect threatened co-accused with a gun to force him to help dispose of his alleged victim’s body, jury hears.
Rafal Chmielewski said he was scared of Zbigniew Pawlowski after he threatened to attack anyone who called the police or ambulance after Tomasz Dembler suffered a violent, fatal attack.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 39-year-old was beaten to death in house in the North East before his mutilated body was buried in a shallow grave in woodland near a country park.
Chmielewski, who is one of five people accused of murdering the Polish father-of-one, said his co-accused threatened him with a gun before forcing him to drive to the burial site but categorically denied being involved in his death.
- Read more: Live updates from the trial
Jurors heard how Pawlowski stuffed the body in a suitcase in Mr Dembler’s room at the house on Edward Street, North Ormesby, before Chmielewski drove him to Flatts Lane Country Park to bury the remains.
The defendant told the jury that he was forced to help dispose of the body but played no role in the violent assault or dismemberment of Mr Dembler.
Sharon Beattie QC, Chmielewski’s barrister, quizzed her client about why he had helped Pawlowski to move Mr Dembler’s body from the house.
The 37-year-old said he was too scared of Pawlowski but now regretted his actions in March last year.
Chmielewski said he didn’t know Mr Dembler’s hands had been chopped off until he read it in the media and challenged Pawlowski about it.
When asked if he knew what had happened to the hands, Chmielewski said: “I asked him straight - why did he cut his hands off?”
Ms Beattie: “What did he say?”
Chmielewski: “Under his fingernails was his DNA.”
Ms Beattie asked: “Did you ask him what he did with the hands and did he tell you?”
Chmielewski: “I'm not sure if what he said was the truth, he said he wrapped them up in carried bag and threw them in a bin.”
The barrister also asked how he reacted to Pawlowski pulling the gun on him in the rear alley of Edward Street.
Chmielewski replied: “I was very scared, I was shocked. I told him to put the gun away.
“For me it was a sudden thought that he might do something with the gun. I asked him to calm down and go back inside and have a civil conversation.”
The court heard that nobody else saw the incident but he told another of the co-accused. Tomasz Reczycki about what had happened.
The jurors had heard how Mr Dembler had recently moved into Edward Street, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, to live with Adam Czerwinski, the cousin of Rafal Chmielewski who was also living at the address with his girlfriend Monika Solerska, at the time of the alleged murder in the early hours of March 21.
Following their arrest, Pawlowski told them he would admit the killing but told them to say he had acted in self-defence after Mr Dembler attacked him armed with a knife.
Ms Beattie asked why her client had changed his version of events, Chmielewski said it was because Pawlowski told them he was no longer going to admit to the killing.
When asked how he felt after helping to dispose of the body, Chmielewski said: “I feel very bad about it but that was not something I wanted to do, it was something I was forced to do it by Pawlowski.”
Zbigniew 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, all deny murder.
The trial continues.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article